and finally, the stars have aligned
by czqy
Summary: Lance decides to volunteer for the Blade of Marmora. He hasn't seen Keith in ages, so he thinks it would be a good opportunity to catch up and help out at the same time. He goes through some new experiences, some old, and a revival of past feelings. It's the story of how Lance and Keith get together, with some others sprinkled along the way.
1. back to where it all began

**A/N:** hey! so. this is essentially going to be a rewrite of sorts, except it's mostly focused on keith and lance now (in the future), and how they end up together. the actual rewrites and fix-it bits have all already happened, which means they'll be revealed in other ways. (hope that makes sense).

also, I have a... bad track record with multichap fics and keeping up with updating (glances at my royal au... sweetie I'm so sorry...) but I swear to fuck this will be completed and hopefully all published within the next two weeks. I'll be updating every 2 to 3 days depending on how things go, and I already have 1.6/5 chapters written. I'm not sure how long it's going to end up being, but I believe chapters 3 and 4 will be the longest out of the 5. I will also admit I don't really know how I'm going to end the thing (lmao) but I will figure it out as I go along and based off any reactions/suggestions others may have.

that's about it for logistics, I'm sorry for rambling, I hope you guys enjoy! here's the story we deserved.

* * *

Lance feels nervous as he watches the Galra ship down touch at the Garrison. He had been fine speaking on the phone, Keith's voice was as familiar as ever, but for reason the thought of seeing him in person makes him jittery. How long has it been? A year? More than, he thinks. The last time they saw each other was at the reunion with everyone. Lance wonders if he's changed at all, if it'll be awkward when they talk. He then shakes the thought away. _It's going to be fine_ , he tells himself. _It's just Keith_.

And yet, when the hatch opens, Lance is taken aback by the sight he sees. Keith is simply standing there in his uniform, but he's exuding power. Even if you didn't know his outfit signified leadership, you would be able to tell just by looking at him. His hair flows gently in the wind, resembling waves of an ocean, and he looks majestic. Like he's some half-Galra royalty. It makes Lance feel a bit embarrassed, as if he's underdressed in his Garrison uniform. He has to stifle a giggle though, because Keith's hair is as long as ever, which means he's still sporting that stupid mullet. Keith notices this, narrows his eyes at Lance, and Lance can't hold it back any longer. He lets out a loud laugh, which only has Keith looking more confused, and once he makes it onto the ship, the first thing he says is "what are you laughing at?". Lance greets Keith instead, because that's common courtesy, and then tells him it's nothing. Keith doesn't look like he wants to let it go, but doesn't say anything else.

As they head out, Lance knows that he had been worried for no reason. He and Keith had a deep bond, and that doesn't just go away because they haven't seen each other in a while. They will fall back into a comfortable pace with each other, and if not, they can create a new one.

* * *

It's been a long time since Lance has been out in space, so he spends his time looking out the window as if it's his first. Keith is piloting, which is still so obviously his element, and the two of them make small talk.

"Well," Keith starts, "it's nice to see you again."

Lance hums in agreeance. "We've never really caught up before."

"Yeah. I guess with all the travelling I do it's hard to. With anyone." Lance frowns. He has gone and visited others before, and other times they have come to him, but never with Keith. They always seemed to be free at different times. He'd assumed the others have caught up with him, though, and he doesn't know what to do with the implication that they haven't. Before he can comment on it, however, Keith speaks again. "Anyways, it's cool that you're volunteering. You didn't have to."

"Nah, of course I did! May as well help out if I can. Besides, I want to see what your life is like now. And maybe score one of those uniforms too."

"Hah," Lance watches the reflection of Keith smirk, "this?" He tugs the fabric at his shoulder. He's confident, Lance notices, in the way he speaks and the way he carries himself. It's hard to imagine that this was the same person who once felt certain he wouldn't be able to lead a team. Lance nods in response, knowing Keith can see. "I'll see what I can do for you."

A silence falls between them after, and when they leave the Milky Way, Lance moves away from the window, taking a seat in the back instead. He closes his eyes and rests for a while. When he comes to again, it's to the sound of what he thinks is Keith humming, but it stops before he's able to discern it.

"How's being a teacher going?"

"It's alright. It's not a job I ever imagined I'd have, but it's really not that bad." Lance teaches at the Garrison now. He's never been great at academics, so he mostly trains the students, teaching them how to fight and defend, how to use various weapons. Occasionally he gets to advise the students on piloting, as well. Sometimes he's called to help with diplomacy, but he thinks that's mostly because they believe no one will act up if a former Paladin of Voltron is present. "Some of the kids are a handful though. I can never seem to control them. They're always off doing their own thing. Actually," Lance teases, "that sounds like someone else I know! You should tell me how to stop them."

Keith rolls his eyes, but surprisingly answers truthfully, and without needing much time to think about it. "I think if they're sure of what they're doing you should just leave them alone, so long as they're not harming anyone or causing damage to anything. If you try to make them listen it could make things worse. But also, I'm not a reliable source; I flunked out, remember?"

"You're right," Lance sighs. "Anyways, what are we going to be doing?"

"Nothing much. Things have mostly settled down because it's been a while since the war has ended now. We'll be patrolling, mostly, helping out some smaller communities, and whatnot. We're going to need to stop at the headquarters, first, though." Soon after the words leave Keith's mouth, Lance is able to spot the base in the distance.

"Oh? It looks a lot different than I remember."

"Yeah, we refurbished it. The others said that since we're a 'humanitarian relief organisation' now, we should look like it. 'We need to make it look homey and welcoming!' were their exact words." Keith speaks with a strain in his voice, and Lance laughs.

"So, what do you guys use it for?"

"Just a headquarters, mostly. Some of us stay there more often than others, so we have permanent rooms. But for those who are just stopping over, there's a special section. And then there's another part for non-members who are seeking refuge, and the like."

"Damn. That's really something you've got going here."

"It's a group effort," Keith says casually, but there's an undeniable hint of pride in his voice.

"Well," Lance smiles, "show it off to me."

* * *

The first thought that enters Lance's mind when he steps foot into the headquarters is that it's _lively_. People are coming and going throughout the main hall, while some are having conversations in the middle of it. Despite the steely material that makes up the place, it doesn't appear cold at all. There are decorations here and there, some floating above them, others hung up on walls. It's an interesting sight to behold. What's most interesting, however, is the way they all react to Keith. Fellow Blades stop and bow their head to him, non-members respectfully say hello, and younger beings run up to greet him. Lance watches all this from the outside, and realises that no matter what Keith says, he's vital to this organisation. And not just that; he's the forefront of it. Lance is awestruck, but he doesn't have much time to process it before Keith leads him further in.

"The trials of Marmora used to take place in these rooms. They exist on every level, but we've converted them into training grounds and recreational places."

"The trials of Marmora?" Truth be told, Lance has no clue what happened when Keith and Shiro came here all that time ago. He only knows that when they learnt the Red Lion had started attacking, panic filled his entire being, and he was frozen in place, desperately watching Allura and waiting for her next order. And when they came back, it was revealed Keith was part Galra. Keith never talked about it, and he never asked.

"It's like an initiation. There are stages, and if you survive them, you'll awaken your blade and I guess become a Blade. And you'll obtain some knowledge about stuff too."

"Survive?!" Lance exclaims. He would've commented on what he believed was Keith's poor attempt at a joke, but he's zeroed in on this word and can't let go of it.

"Yeah. Their motto was 'knowledge or death'."

"Are you serious? And you…" Lance trails off, not knowing how he should finish the sentence. Keith looks away, so he ultimately decides not to push the topic any further. He apologises for making Keith talk about something he's uncomfortable with. They start walking again, but Lance can't stop thinking about the way Keith had said 'it's okay', sounding very not okay, and he can't help but wonder what other experiences he's had that he hasn't told anyone else about.

* * *

After a tour of the base, they head to the dining hall to eat. Lance hadn't thought about food when he decided to come back into space, and now he's suddenly questioning his decision. He doesn't know if he can ever eat another spoonful of food goo in this lifetime, and any others that may follow. Keith seems take notice of Lance's face blanching, and leans in close to his ear.

"Don't worry about the food," he whispers, and it sends tingles down Lance's spine, "I can vouch for it. Space cuisine has come a long way. In fact, I'm pretty sure they use Hunk's recipes here, so. How _is_ he doing, by the way?"

"Thanks, man. I was really scared for a moment there. And Hunk's doing great! He's mostly focused on cooking and becoming the best chef in the universe, but in his down time he still works on small projects. The Garrison calls him over every now and then so he can help with engineering stuff. It's always a party, when that happens. We catch up, and he lets me test out new things they're making, even though I'm not technically allowed to. And when Pidge joins in, it's just like old times. We revert to being teenagers, and we have a bunch of fun. You really should join us some time." Lance takes a deep breath after he finishes, and he can feel people staring at him. He isn't sure if they're shocked at how much he managed to say in a short amount of time, or if they're annoyed he talked a bit loudly. Either way, he sends them a sheepish wave, and they look away. When he directs his attention back to Keith, he finds that for the first time since seeing him, he looks hesitant.

"I, um," when Keith sounds like he's going reject the offer, Lance pouts and tries to look as dejected as he can. He doesn't know how effective the tactic is going to be, it stopped working on his family forever ago, but he sees Keith's eyes widen a little, and knows he's won. "Maybe," he says, finally. "Some day." And Lance _beams_. It's nothing concrete, but it's better than nothing at all. He's also delighted to find out that the powerful Keith, leader of an entire organisation, has his weaknesses. The idea that one of them could be Lance crosses his mind, and it makes his heart do a weird thing, but he pushes it away immediately. That's a stupid thought.

* * *

Keith shows Lance to his room, once dinner is over. He's going to be sleeping where the Blades who are here temporarily stay, which makes sense, however he can't help but feel a tinge of disappointment at the fact Keith won't be next door, like he had been on the Castleship. He hadn't expected anything when he came out here, but a small part of him _was_ hoping for some kind of familiarity. He supposes he has to let that go, though. Things are different now. They're not the same people as the teenagers who came to space without a clue. They've grown up, they've matured, they've changed. And the universe has changed with it.

Lance sighs, once he's changed and gotten into bed. He lies on his back and stares up at the ceiling. They're heading out first thing tomorrow morning. He loved space when he was a kid; he wanted to explore it. It's the reason why he enrolled at the Galaxy Garrison. But… it didn't really turn out the way he thought it would. When he was with Voltron, he wanted nothing more than to go home. He missed it more than anything. And now he's willingly come back. He lets his mind wander for a while longer, then switches off the light.

In the darkness, he says to himself, as a whisper, "what have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Those people staring at Lance may have been doing so because holy shit who is this person who can talk that much with the leader of the BOM? Is he not intimidated? Why is Keith allowing this? And what is that look in his eyes when he watches him talk?

and that's chapter 1! I'm sorry it's a tad short, but I think it'll end up being the shortest one, if that's any consolation.

feel free to review! I love them a lot and they keep me going :)

thanks for reading, I'll see you guys soon.

(my tumblr is riskeith if ya wanna hmu)


	2. the story of how the universe was saved

**A/N:** lemme preface this by saying that I've only written 2 and a bit chapters so far but I think this is going to be my favourite hehe

* * *

Lance wakes up to a soft, purple glow. He sits up slowly, still feeling groggy, and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks around him, and, right, he's back in space. Some of the hesitance from the previous night comes back, but then his eyes land on a set of folded clothes placed at the foot of his bed, and he perks up immediately. Keith pulled through! He eagerly starts to put on the uniform, but there are so many layers and pieces, that he ends up staring at them perplexed. He glances at the mirror, and jumps when he sees his own reflection. He thought he'd managed to get most of the parts on right, but he honestly just looks like a mess. He pulls everything off in frustration, then glares at it. He doesn't want to ask Keith for help, just the thought of having him dress him makes his face heat up, and he isn't familiar with anyone else here. In the end, he decides to try again. He's smart, he's got this. He will figure it out.

And he does. After many attempts, and a short break in which Lance lied face down on his pillow and screamed, he is now wearing the Blade of Marmora uniform. He can't take all the credit though, he found an image with instructions where his uniform once sat following his mental breakdown, and followed it like his life depended on it. He looks at his arms, then glances down, and thinks he probably looks super cool. His suspicions are confirmed when he stands in front of the mirror. Suddenly, he believes he understands the confidence Keith has in himself now. If Lance looked like this all the time, he wouldn't ever doubt himself either. He feels smug, and spends maybe a little too long admiring himself in the mirror. He flexes his muscles a bit, but that's mostly as a joke. At least, that's what he tells himself. When he's finally satisfied, he heads out his room to find Keith.

* * *

It's Keith who gets to Lance first. Lance ended up getting lost, and had to ask a Blade where Keith was after finally admitting to himself that he wouldn't be able to work his way through this maze. They told him they'd get him for him, and now he's just awkwardly waiting. Although, he _is_ pondering something. When he was talking to the Blade, they were kind of… staring at him. They gave him a once-over before walking away, and it left Lance confused. He doubts it's because of what he's wearing, he's pretty sure it's standard for anyone who works for the Marmora, whether that be permanently or not. He's racking his brain over this, because he doesn't want to accidentally have missed some new space formality. He still doesn't get it, until he sees Keith approach him, and that's when he realises. It's the _type_ of uniform he's wearing.

Keith's uniform is different to that of the other Blades. He has additional parts, extra material crossed over his chest and hanging over his shoulders. There's another piece of fabric wrapped around his waist, looking like half of a cape but also like a skirt. It denotes his position as a leader. It makes him stand out.

Lance looks down at himself, and notices he's wearing the exact same thing. Or, close to it. He only has one sash crossed over his chest, showing half of his chest plate with the purple luminescence. He also has the cape-skirt thing, but it's a lot shorter. It must imply some position of power as well, which explains why the Blade was looking at him strangely. He, a complete newbie, a stranger to all these Blades, wears a uniform that tells them he is superior to them. He goes wide eyed, jaw dropping, and he's honestly a little scared. When Keith reaches him, Lance points at him, then directs the finger to himself.

"Why… I'm not meant to be wearing this, am I?" Lance is sort of freaking out. He feels like he's breaking some kind of rule, shattering a hierarchy that has been set in place. He thinks there's been some kind of mistake, but Keith simply shrugs, like it's not a big deal at all.

"Not really, I suppose. You wanted it though, so the rules don't matter."

This shocks Lance. He's frozen in place, trying to process Keith's words. He's not particularly surprised about Keith breaking the rules, in fact it gives Lance a sense of calm that he still does it, however he doesn't know how to feel about Keith doing it _for_ him. A warmth starts to ignite in his stomach because of it, but he puts it out. He doesn't want to think about what it implies. Another moment passes before Keith breaks the silence. He tries to comfort Lance, but it sounds a bit like he's trying to convince himself as well.

"It's still different to mine, though. The split in that," he gestures at the fabric covering their legs, "goes opposite directions. And I have an extra triangle here," he touches his chest. Lance compares their outfits again, and feels Keith watching him. He glances back up, and finds the leader appearing timid. "Look," Keith doesn't meet his eyes, "I can take it back if it makes you uncomfortable."

At this, Lance's emotions change completely. He interjects "no!" maybe too forcefully, Keith jumps, but it gets his point across. He didn't mean to make Keith feel like he overstepped any bounds, especially when he was doing something Lance wanted. "It's not bad at all. Sorry if I made you think otherwise. Thanks for getting it for me," he smiles in an attempt to lighten the mood, and he mentally high fives himself when the corners of Keith's lips curl up. "Besides, have you seen me? I look _bomb_ in this." He strikes a pose for Keith. He laughs.

"Yeah," Keith says as he turns around, "you really do."

Lance's steps falter. He feels himself blush, and then the heat spreads throughout his entire being. He's not exactly a stranger to receiving compliments, but to have _Keith_ compliment him… It's something that would've made his teenage self go crazy. In fact, he feels himself going a little crazy right now. He doesn't know why receiving Keith's validation is so important to him, or why it has such a profound effect. He wants to attribute it to the rivalry they used to have, but that wouldn't exactly explain why it makes him feel this way now. He shakes the thought aside, then jogs to catch up to Keith. He doesn't want to have Keith turn around and see the redness in his cheeks.

* * *

The Blade of Marmora head out to a planet not too far from their home base, and Lance rides with Keith. He's offered the pilot's seat, but declines. He hasn't properly flown anything in a while, much less in space. He'll give it a shot later though, he says, once he's settled into everything a bit more. Once they land, Keith tells him a bit about this place as they walk.

It's a relatively small planet, and even with that, there's a large area that's uninhabitable, so the population is really small. They were mostly left alone during the war, due to their lack of resources and numbers, however when the Galra arrived, they still caused a lot of destruction before leaving. They were able to back on their feet, but conditions weren't optimal. They couldn't contact anyone for help either, because their technology wasn't advanced, but the Blade of Marmora found them after the war and provided the last bit of support they needed. They now check back every few phoebs, to give out supplies, and to carry out maintenance on the devices they installed. It's not much work though, so there won't be a lot to do.

Lance listens intently as Keith speaks. He sounds passionate, like he really cares about the inhabitants, and Lance doesn't doubt that he does. A village soon comes into view, and Blades immediately launch into action. They transport crates containing foods, medical supplies, and materials for various purposes. Some carry tool boxes with them and approach different structures and houses. They talk with the citizens at the same time, and there are smiles all around. Lance turns to ask Keith what he can do, but he's interrupted by someone launching themselves at Keith. He panics for a moment, hand reaching for where his bayard would've materialised, but stops short when he hears Keith chuckle, and sees a flurry of movement heading towards them.

The two of them are now surrounded by what Lance belatedly realises is a group of children. They huddle around Keith, glancing up at him with glee in their eyes, shouting greetings and speaking over one another. Keith grins, now carrying the first child at his hip, and he leans down to hug everyone else separately. Some of them fling their arms around his neck, and others simply melt in his embrace. Lance watches, baffled. Keith, the once-lone wolf, is good with children. They love him. The warmth from before comes back, and it softens him. He subconsciously smiles at the sight before him, but at the same time there's a pang of something he feels like is jealousy. He pushes the feeling away. He isn't envious of a bunch of kids. He does feel like an outsider, though. He's being completely ignored by the group, and Keith is too busy paying attention to them. He's about to step aside to go help someone else, when a small voice speaks up.

"Keef, who's this!" Lance feels a tug, and looks down to see someone holding onto him.

Immediately, all eyes turn to Lance. He freezes, unsure of what to do or say. In the end, he gives a shy smile and waves. And with that, chaos erupts. The children run up to Lance now, inspecting him with big eyes, asking more questions he isn't sure whether they're meant for him or Keith.

"Is he new?"

"Why hasn't he been here before?"

"How come your face is funny?"

"Where are you from?"

"Tell us!" They chant the last one together for a while, their united voices sounding a bit like something from a horror movie. He stares desperately at Keith, hoping he'll do something, and to his relief, he does.

"Okay, okay," Keith puts the child at his hip down, then stands beside Lance. "This is Lance, he's also a former-Paladin. He's from Earth too." The group is silent for a second, they look at one another, then at the two of them, before there's a chorus of voices again.

"What colour was he?"

"Why is he taller than you?"

"Is he staying?"

"Can I hug him too?"

"Are you together?"

That one startles Lance, and he whips head around to Keith, but he can't read anything from the neutral expression he wears.

"Blue, then red. First of all, we are practically the same height, but I don't know. He's just volunteering, so no. Maybe, if you ask him nicely." He pauses before answering the last one, then tilts his head as he does, "what, why would you say that?" He doesn't reply to the question directly, neither does he deny nor confirm it. Lance can't figure out the tone of his voice either, so he doesn't know how Keith feels about it. He doesn't want to admit it, but he was nervous, waiting for Keith's response. He's anxious, even now. He finds that he really wants to know what Keith thinks about the idea of them dating, even though he doesn't actually like him that way. He's also curious as to why the children would think that; he wonders whether they appear that way to outsiders. It makes him toy with the concept of what it'd be like if they were together.

"Your clothes match!"

Ah, the uniform thing again. Lance thinks that Keith might be regretting it now, but if he does, he doesn't show it. Instead, he laughs.

"Well, all those other Blades' clothes match, do you think they're all dating too?" The kids shake their heads. "Lance and I aren't dating either. However," he makes direct eye contact with Lance, and speaks with conviction, "he _is_ someone very special to me. He's always had my back," Keith finishes off delicately. He gives a small smile before looking away.

Lance feels like a strong gust of wind has just blown past him. He's left dazed, and he thinks Keith is talking with the children again, but he's zoned out so he doesn't know for sure. He's too busy thinking about… Keith. It's not the first time Lance has heard Keith say what he said. In fact, he told him the exact same thing on their final night on Earth before they went back into space again. The part before that though, that's new. Lance tells himself not to overthink it. They were Paladins; they've melded their minds together before; they had a bond that transcends anything else in reality. Of course they are special to each other. That's all he means. Except… Someone's tugging at him again. He kneels to greet the child this time, pats them on the head and gives them a warm smile. He says hi, but they don't say anything back. He's okay with it. Maybe they're just shy.

"Keith," Lance hears from somewhere behind him, "can you tell us the story again?"

"Which story?"

"You know which one! The one you always tell us!" This intrigues Lance. He didn't know Keith was a storyteller. He wants to listen as well, to see what tale Keith shares with these children. It must be interesting, if they ask for it every time.

"Alright," Keith sits down, and everyone crawls towards him. It reminds him of a preschool. He's about to stand back up and observe from the outskirts, when Keith beckons him over. "Lance, you can join in too. Provide some new input." Lance does as he's told, taking his place beside Keith. He isn't sure he'll know the story Keith is going to tell, though, so he's a bit worried. However, when Keith starts, Lance stares at him wide-eyed. He didn't expect this. Of all the things, he never expected it would be a story about them.

"Here's the story of how the universe was saved."

* * *

"… And after Voltron defeated Sendak, they thought that was it. But then this Robeast landed on Earth, and it was stronger than any other they had fought before.

"It turns out that the real enemy all along was a witch, named Haggar. Not Zarkon, not Lotor, not Sendak. She used to be called Honerva, and she was Altean. She too had been infected by Quintessence, and it was what made her evil. She was the one who created all the previous Robeasts. She was the one who controlled the Druids. She was capable of dark, dark, magic. And she was powerful. But, she also had a son, and for him, she was prepared to sacrifice the universe.

"After the Galra Empire started falling, she went to Oriande, a realm containing the origins of Altean alchemy. There, she was Haggar no more. She became Honerva again, and began her mission to get her son back.

"She managed to retrieve her son from the Quintessence Field, but he suffered almost irreparable damage. In order to revive him, she travelled across realities to find a rift of pure Quintessence. She was able to, and she brought him back, however her actions destroyed all but one reality.

"Team Voltron met with the two of them in the connected consciousness of all existence. If they didn't act soon, that last reality would cease to exist as well. Everything, everyone, would be gone. Honerva was distraught. She'd gone through so much trouble to get Lotor back, and it was going to be all for nothing. She almost wanted to give up. Even if they saved the one reality, it would still be filled with pain and suffering. But, Queen Allura, who was still only a princess then, had a solution.

"The princess had been to Oriande before as well, with Lotor. There, they learnt how to transform Quintessence from a destructive force into a life-giving force. They could use the Quintessence from Honerva's vessel to restore all the realities, and sacrifice Voltron as well. The Paladins were hesitant about it at first. Voltron was the greatest weapon, and without it, any evil could destroy the universes they just brought back. However, Allura assured them it would be okay. Voltron wouldn't be needed anymore. With this, they could bring peace and prosperity to all realities.

"There was something else she hadn't told them. The Quintessence from their ships wouldn't be enough. She would have to give some of her life force. Lotor and Honerva would have to do so as well. And, because they had once been exposed to Quintessence, they could give a lot more of it. It would also get rid of the last bits of evil in them. The three of them knew the risks, but decided it would be worth it. They knelt, and started to transfer Quintessence. It was similar to the ceremonies Alteans performed on Balmera. The Paladins watched on, anxious. It seemed like nothing was happening, and the three looked to be on the verge of collapsing. In fact, Allura had fainted, but before any Paladins could reach her, there was this bright, bright light.

"When the Paladins came to again, they were aboard the Atlas. Or at least, the part of the Atlas that had merged with Voltron. The Red Paladin composed himself first, and immediately went to find his girlfriend. The others followed suit, searching for Honerva and Lotor as well. They were found unconscious, but otherwise okay. While they were taken to the medical bay, the Green Paladin checked the controls, and confirmed that they were back in their own reality. The three of them had done it. The universe was saved.

"And it wasn't just that. The Yellow Paladin looked out the window and spotted two planets that he swore weren't there before. He pointed it out to the Black Paladin and the commander of Atlas, and they marvelled at the sight as well. It took them a moment to realise, but it was actually Altea and Daibazaal. They had been restored!

"Since then, planets have started undergoing restoration, people have started rebuilding their civilisations, and communications across the universe have become a lot more frequent. Every species is working closely with each other now, as we all occupy the same space, and so the efforts of those who helped end the war don't go to waste."

* * *

The way Keith talks makes it seem like he's telling a fictional story. The way the children react only further feeds into that image. They show big reactions at Keith's words. They gasp when there's a surprise or plot twist; they clutch at each other when Keith tells them about scary events; and they cheer when Keith announces victories.

As Lance listens, he nearly forgets for a moment that he's _in_ the story. That he lived through all of this. It almost doesn't seem real; his life now is so quiet and uneventful compared to the years he spent with Voltron. Although, he knows that if he was given the option, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, in the universe. The experiences he went through helped him grow, they matured him into the person he is today. He became close to a group of people he considers a second family, and he gained an abundance of knowledge he never would've at school.

After the story is done, some of the kids raise their hands to ask questions. Most of them are small, or silly questions. They want to know what kind of food they ate, how much fun they got to have each day, and whether they were good students at school. One of them, though is more insightful.

"What happened to the bad guys?"

"Well, they aren't exactly bad anymore. Remember when they had to transfer the Quintessence? That was what led to Honerva and Lotor being evil, so after that whole thing was done, they became as if they had never been infected in the first place. Of course, that doesn't automatically pardon their crimes. Their actions resulted in almost ten thousand years of suffering. People lost their homes, their families, their entire species.

"However, the princess had a heart of gold, even back then. She was always able to see that there was still good in people. She allowed them to do what they did best, research. Honerva had practically destroyed Oriande, and so much of the knowledge on Altean alchemy was lost. They are now creating a new Oriande of sorts, some place where information can be stored. They're recording everything they previously knew about Altean alchemy, and conducting new experiments to discover new things. That way, they will be able to pass on the skills to new generations, and continue the Altean legacy."

Keith explains everything so intricately, yet in a way that the children will be able to understand, and Lance finds himself paying careful attention too. That's why he's caught off guard when Keith turns to him, and asks if he missed anything. He shakes his head no, and says that he thinks Keith got it all. Keith then goes back to entertaining the kids, but Lance feels bad for not having actually contributed much. He wanted to, but Keith was very detailed, and Lance had been entranced by him.

* * *

When storytime concludes, it's just about time to head back as well. Keith goes to talk with the village chief, and Lance helps out with the last bit of supplies, apologising to various people he comes across for not having done anything before. They all tell him it's okay, giving him a pat on the back once he's done. Some of the inhabitants actually tease him, saying that they understand why he would rather be with Keith. He waves his hands at this, informing them it really isn't like that, but they cock their heads at him. "Why else is he so happy, then?" they ask, and Lance can't provide an explanation. He'd never truly seen Keith be carefree like this before, so he didn't know that he was even more cheerful than normal. He doesn't know what to do with the fact he's believed to be the cause, either.

Once everything is completed, the Blades bid farewell, and they head out. On the way back to their ship, Lance tells Keith that he's the children's hero. From what Lance saw, they absolutely adored and idolised him. Keith just shrugs it off, saying he really isn't, but Lance insists that he is.

"They look up to you, man. I mean, who wouldn't though? You're a leader, and you were the Black Paladin of Voltron. You have insane fighting skills, you can dual wield swords, and not to mention the fact that—" Lance cuts himself off. He was about to tell Keith he was attractive. To his face. And he had said a lot more than he intended to as well. All he wanted to do was explain why Keith was hero material. He didn't mean to say out loud all the observations he's made over the years. He's afraid to look over at Keith, but does it eventually after receiving no response.

He's kind of just… looking at Lance, mouth opened slightly. He regains his composure once Lance quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Wow, thanks. Didn't know you thought all that of me." And then he smirks, causing Lance to hang his head. He's embarrassed, but he's also blushing because he thought Keith looked really good just then. His face only burns hotter when Keith speaks again. "You're a hero too, Lance. Don't you ever forget that." Lance forces himself to look up, but Keith has already gone on ahead. He takes a moment to still the beating of his heart, then continues walking too. He doesn't attempt to hide his smile though, he wouldn't be able to even if he tried.

* * *

 **A/N:** How did the clothes end up in Lance's room? Well, maybe Keith had gotten up super early, and went to deliver them to Lance, but he wasn't awake. He could've left them at the foot of the door, but he was just slightly afraid something happened, so he opened the door to check in on him.

I cried… so many times writing this because… BOM uniforms look SO good… keith looks SO good wearing it… can you just imagine lance wearing it too? and they both look so FUCKING BOMB standing there together like POWER COUPLE! sdhfjsdkjfhksdjhfkjsd

also um… I'm hoping this doesn't happen hopefully I can pull through but I'm just gonna warn you guys that there may be a longer wait between this update and the next. I really want to write something for kags' birthday on sat and also banana fish finale is friday so… I'm aiming to finish ch3 before then and upload that sunday or monday, write ch4 in the meantime, and start ch5 (still don't really know what'll happen in it lol). I really don't want to keep you guys waiting long so I shall try my best but if it doesn't work out, here's me apologising in advance.

(as usual feel free to review, my tumblr is riskeith if you wanna hmu)


	3. just like old times

**A/N:** sorry this is late I have once again overestimated my ability to write ;u;

(at least it's long tho?)

* * *

"Sir, the squadron has been prepped and is ready to roll out whenever you are."

"Okay, thanks." Keith nods and the Blade bows their head before taking leave. Lance, who's standing next to Keith, found the exchange amusing.

"'Sir', huh?" He quirks an eyebrow, wanting to tease Keith about the honorific. Keith closes his eyes and sighs.

"I tell them not to call me that; it makes me feel weird. Like I'm old or something. Like Shiro."

Lance laughs. He doesn't bother trying to argue about it. A few of his students call him the same thing, and even now there are times he forgets to respond. It's a bit surreal. They had looked up to so many others before, and now they're the ones being looked to. He still feels like a child, sometimes, and he has to remind himself that he's not so young anymore. He needs to take initiative and act if he wants something, and he can't be afraid to chase new opportunities.

"What's going on, though?" Lance had started his morning peacefully. He checked out the Marmora training grounds and worked out for a bit, welcoming the burn in his muscles afterwards. He hasn't felt that in a while. He then ate breakfast on his own because Keith was elsewhere, but ended up being invited over to a table, where he got to talk about Earth, and ask the others where they were from, as well as what made them join this organisation. Following that, he met up with Keith, and was just about to ask him what was on the agenda today when they were interrupted.

"Communications received a distress signal early this morning, from one of the zones a bit further out. We're going to go check it out. There may be hostiles, and there have been reports of injuries, so a bunch of different people are going."

"And you are…" Unless Keith secretly became trained in the medical field, Lance doubts he's going there to tend to the injured. He pretty sure he knows what Keith's going to do, but he wants to hear it from the guy himself.

"I'm going to go after whoever's doing this."

"On your own?" Keith has a habit of doing that. He's always on the front line, more than willing to endanger himself rather than have someone else get hurt. It's hazardous, and Lance hates this part of him. He doesn't like the sound of where this is going.

"Yeah. I don't think it's going to be anything big, so I should be able to handle it on my own."

The nonchalance in Keith's voice pisses Lance off, but he stops himself from doing what he really wants, which is to yell at him. He's hesitating because he doesn't want to _tell_ Keith what to do, as if he isn't already aware of the risks, although he also doesn't want him to be in danger either. Something he's learnt over the years is that it's good to have back up, whether you end up needing it or not. He chews his lip, still debating about what to do in his head, but Keith has already taken notice. He's always been able to read Lance, to know what he's thinking, and this time is no exception. He presents a solution Lance hadn't considered yet, and it calms his worries.

"Do you want to come with?" Keith looks like he didn't want to offer the option, but knew it was the only way Lance would be satisfied.

"Yeah." Lance doesn't even take a second to think about it.

"Alright. I'll have someone take you over to the armoury so you can pick whatever weapons you need. There are still a few things I need to check on first, so I'll meet you at the hangar." Lance nods in confirmation, while Keith brings out his communicator and organises for someone to come over.

"Can I pilot the ship?" Lance asks after a moment. He's heading back into potential action, and the familiar adrenaline he used to feel before missions is returning. He's starting to feel thrilled, and he knows that flying will only make him more excited. He tries hard to remain in the right mindset, but he can't help it. He hasn't felt like this in ages. He's going to have a hell of a time. Keith seems to feel the same way. He's grinning, wider than Lance has ever seen.

"Of course."

* * *

The armoury holds a variety of weaponry. Lance sees many that are familiar, guns, swords, lances. He giggles when he spots the last kind, then moves on to see what else the Marmora has to offer. There are many where he can't figure out exactly what they are, there's a cube that appears to be nothing but a block, and something that resembles a bow except it has no bowstring.

In the end, Lance goes back to the weapons he's confident with. He looks at the range, and stands there to think for a bit, before he smirks and reaches out for what he wants. Each thing he chooses has a smaller form, like how Keith's blade comes from a normal-sized knife, and he holsters them before leaving the room.

Someday he might ask Keith to show him the weapons he's never seen before, and maybe demonstrate them for him. Right now though, he has to go on a mission.

* * *

Lance is somewhat rusty when it comes to flying. It's been a while, it's to be expected. There's no way Keith doesn't know this, and yet, when Lance loses control for a moment and steers them off course, he still chooses to tease Lance about it.

"Hey," Keith leans over in front of Lance and smirks, "where did Lance the Red Paladin go? This is, like, Lance when he first flew Blue."

"Oh, come on!" Lance protests. "I'd like to see you fly this well after taking a long break."

"Yeah? Is that a bet?" And then Keith comes closer, even closer than he was before, and Lance doesn't know what he's trying to do; he shouldn't take his eyes off the road, but Keith is practically _right_ beside him now, and he thinks that's his breath he feels against his neck. It's getting ticklish, but Keith isn't moving back, and _seriously_ , what is he doing? Lance has had enough. It's distracting him, so he turns to yell at him, but only shifts his eyes at the very last moment, and when he does, Keith is right in front of his face. Like, their noses are literally centimetres away from touching. This obviously startles him, but before the shock settles in, Keith gives him a slow, wide grin, and that's when his hand slips. The ship tilts right completely, which throws Keith off balance, and he goes flying into the side with a thud.

He corrects the ship's position, then goes to glare at Keith. He has half a mind to feel bad for him, but really, he got what was coming. He only panics when someone's voice comes over intercom, and asks if everything's alright. He'd forgotten they weren't alone, and that others had most likely witnessed what just happened. While he's stuck thinking about how to reply, Keith gets himself off the floor and holds a hand to his head. He takes over momentarily, and says everything's fine. He then narrows his eyes at Lance, and adds "we've got a baby pilot here, but don't worry. I'll make sure he flourishes into a beautiful bird." Lance had been pissed when Keith insulted him, but after hearing that attempt at a metaphor, he forgets about it completely. Does Keith even hear what he's saying? He hears more confused voices come in after, asking what Keith means, and he snickers. Keith just turns communications off.

"Aw, you can't leave your subordinates hanging! You should explain Earth's figurative language to them." Lance fakes thinking for a moment, he exaggerates the act by stroking his chin. "Actually, on second thought, don't. You'll teach them wrong." He gives a shit-eating grin, but it wavers when Keith leans forwards and stares daggers at him. Everything is suspended for a moment, then Keith backs down.

"I'm gonna rest for a bit." Lance turns his head to find Keith slouching in the chair behind his with his feet propped up against a ledge. His arms rest crossed on top of his chest, and his eyes are closed. Lance snorts. Typical. Even as a leader, he doesn't change his ways. He wonders what the Blades would think of him if they saw this. He wants to pull out his communicator and snap a picture, but Keith speaks and surprises him for the second time. "Don't you _dare_ do anything funny." Lance doesn't know how Keith knew that if his eyes were still closed, but he pouts and turns back anyways. "And don't mess up." Lance rolls his eyes this time and mocks Keith under his breath. He's not the one piloting, he can't tell Lance what to do.

After a while, the heat is all gone, and Lance thinks back to what happened earlier. He doesn't know if he's ever been that close to Keith before, and that's probably a good thing too, because clearly, it's dangerous. Just picturing the proximity again has his heart beating faster, and brings butterflies to his stomach. He might be delusional, but he swears that Keith may have glanced down at his lips at some point, and for some reason that makes him more flustered. He frowns and tells himself it's a natural reaction, then tries to forget the event altogether. It's hard though, when it's silent all around him, when there's nothing but his thoughts to keep him entertained.

* * *

If Lance purposely rocked the ship every now and then to disturb Keith before they arrived at their destination, that's nobody's business but his. If he sneaked out of the ship and purposely didn't wake Keith up, causing him to show up last to the meeting with the leader of the planet, then that's his little secret as well. Keith maintains a calm expression, sincerely apologising for his lateness and provides a flimsy excuse that he was checking the perimeter, which the people actually buy. Lance knows he knows though. Before the leader starts explaining their situation, Keith glowers at him, and he simply smiles back. It only angers him further, but he immediately refocuses his attention when the leader starts speaking.

Someone has been stealing their resources. It was food at first, perishables, then medical supplies, and now, what led to them contacting the Blade of Marmora, weapons. They snuck into citizen's homes in the beginning, and other facilities, but for some of the medical equipment and weapons, they were guarded. No one was killed, but people have been injured; it seems that whoever's doing this doesn't engage unless absolutely necessary. Witnesses have never gotten a good look at the culprit, their entire figure is covered, and they move very fast.

After Keith asks the leader a few more questions, they visit the witnesses to gather as much additional information as they can. Once that's completed, Keith gives out orders. Medics are to tend to the injured immediately; one of the groups of other Blades are to restock whatever went missing; and the last group is to patrol the area for any suspicious activity. Lance is to go with Keith into the forest, where the person responsible is believed to be hiding.

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Lance and Keith have been walking through green foliage for some time now, and so far they haven't seen anything but leaves and various other plants. Keith walks on ahead, cutting down anything in their way with his blade. He hasn't been saying much. Lance looks behind them, at the path they've inadvertently cleared, and wonders if it'll become a problem.

"We find the person responsible, then interrogate them."

"You make it sound like it'll be easy."

Keith stops and turns to face Lance. "What makes you think it won't be?"

"Dude," Lance throws his hands up, "were you even listening before? Whoever this is is quick, and they haven't been caught in all this time. We shouldn't just charge in there like psychos. That leaves _us_ in the open."

And just as Lance finishes that word, something zips past his ear, hitting the tree beside him. It resembles a shuriken, except there are lasers coming out from each point. Lance looks in the direction it was thrown from, and sees another approaching, directly at him this time. It seems like everything moves in slow motion now. He almost goes cross eyed watching the star get closer, and he starts to think 'this is it', when he is forcefully yanked forwards. Then everything goes into hyperspeed. Keith pulls him through the forest, everything passes by as a blur, and they're crashing through everything. Lance gets branches in his face, but he will take this over actually being dead any day.

It feels like they're running in circles, because everything around them looks the same, but eventually they come across a thicker part of the forest, where they'll be concealed between the bushes. They crouch down and catch their breaths. Lance is panting hard, his heart beats hard, and he swears he can feel it. Keith, on the other hand, seems like he's only had a light workout. Lance looks at him with a disgusted look on his face between huffs. Then, Keith wipes a hand across his forehead, and suddenly Lance can't breathe for a different reason. He's still angry, though.

"Still think it'll be easy?" He whisper-yells. Keith just glares. He then takes a look around them, before coming back to face Lance with a level gaze.

"I think we're close to the centre of the forest right now. It's mostly all bush and trees around us, but while we were running I spotted a path."

"Yeah," Lance says, because apparently they're just stating the obvious now, "you cleared a path."

"No," Keith doesn't react to the quip, which means he's being serious, so Lance starts listens carefully, "when we were escaping I couldn't cut everything down in time, so we basically crashed our way here. Also, it means whoever this is won't be able to find us. The path I saw leads deeper into the forest. I bet the culprit uses that path." Keith pauses so Lance can take all the information in. Lance already has, he's always been good with retaining information, but he's a bit caught up how exactly Keith saw all of this. He realises it must have something to do with him having Galra blood in him, and he groans, accidentally. Out loud. Keith suddenly looks angry and Lance holds his hands up in surrender, mouthing an apology. He still eyes Lance with suspicion when he continues.

"Here's what we're going to do. I'll go out into the open, see if I can draw them out, then I'll chase them down the path. There's no guarantee they'll stick to it, but I think it might lead to a hideout, where they'd theoretically have an advantage. You hide somewhere along the way or at the end, then come out at the last moment."

Lance hums, thinking over the plan. He doesn't like the fact Keith is using himself as bait, and he also doesn't like that there are so many variables. If something goes wrong they're back at square one, or even worse, Keith could be in trouble. It's still better than nothing though, he supposes, which also means Keith won't let it go, so he nods. "It's a trap, then?"

"Yeah."

Lance laughs.

"What?!" For someone who is able to move so silently and likes the quiet, Keith sure sucks at controlling his volume. Lance winces then glances around them to make sure there's no activity.

"Dude, can't you whisper? We're hiding here, remember? But anyways, it's nothing. All of this just reminds me of old times. The missions we used to do together." This one specifically is reminiscent of the first time they went to the Balmera together, where Lance had distracted the sentries so Keith could take them down. Wow, that was forever ago. It was just after Lance decided maybe Keith would make a better teammate than rival.

"Yeah…" Keith's voice is suddenly soft. Lance listens, intrigued. He can talk quietly, after all. "There weren't enough of them," and then he stares into Lance's eyes, "we're a good team."

Lance suddenly has a sense of déjà vu. They're in a similar position now, as well. Crouched down, not a lot of distance between them. It's all green around them this time though, not purple. The callback to the words he said all that time ago dazes him. It always brings a blush to his cheeks, when he thinks back to that time. And Keith knows what he was doing. He wears a sly smile, however Lance won't indicate he understood the reference. He doesn't know why it started, but he's always denied remembering that moment, so he will continue to do so. Plus, it seems to irk Keith, and even though he's long past their rivalry, he still enjoys teasing the guy.

When Lance doesn't provide a response, Keith huffs. He then points towards his right and tells Lance to get into position. He'll wait a few minutes before walking to the path. Lance nudges him. Keith looks angry again when Lance doesn't say a word, but he moves his eyes to give him a hint. Keith follows the movement to where Lance has held his hand out. Keith clutches it, then nods. Lance heads out.

* * *

It's _hot_. This must be a tropical forest or something, because seriously, Lance hasn't moved that much and he's sweating. He's also getting restless. He's just been kneeling behind a shrub, waiting, but at least there are no insects around. Keith was right, the path leads to a little camp of sorts. He's staring at it now, wondering what's hidden in all those boxes. His boredom turns into worry when he still doesn't hear any movement. He considers his options, then decides to go look for Keith. His life is more valuable than catching whoever this is.

Lance is just about to step out from hiding, when he hears a crash. He faces the direction it came from, and is barely able to make out two figures. He waits, as there may be multiple culprits, but he gets confirmation it's Keith when he hears him yell at the person he's chasing to stop. Lance snorts at this, because when does that ever work? Lance inches closer to the camp as they approach, and, _wow_ , they are fast. The citizens of this planet weren't kidding when they said the person moves like a blur. However, what's more amazing is the fact that Keith is able to keep up. He carries his blade in his left hand, which must've been weighing him down, and then he reverts it back into a dagger, swaps it over to his right hand, then throws it at the culprit. Lance has to refrain from yelling out, because they didn't come here to kill, but the person dodges easily, and the knife lodges itself in a tree.

They're a few metres away from the camp now, and Lance can see them more clearly. Keith looks like he's almost at his limit, while the person he's chasing smirks. They must think they'll win once they reach camp. But before that moment, Lance leaps out of the bushes, reaches back with his right hand to where he's keeping his weapons, and unsheathes a sword. He holds it to the culprit's throat, point touching the skin but not breaking it. He breathes heavily, as if he was involved in all the action, then commands, "surrender".

Surprisingly, the person complies. It could be because Lance keeps the sword at their neck the whole time, as well as the fact Keith is looking at them menacingly, but Lance didn't expect it would be this easy. He makes the culprit sit on one of the crates, then waits for Keith to act. Keith comes to his side, but he's no longer looking at the person. He stares at the sword instead, then up at Lance. Lance gives him a questioning gaze, but his expression is unreadable. He takes the weapon from Lance, and Lance goes to stand behind him.

"I'm going to put this down now," he says slowly, "but know that if I get even the slightest indication of you trying to escape, you'll be dead on the floor before you can even take a step."

Lance gawks at Keith. Is he being serious? If Lance knew Keith was going to be threatening people, he wouldn't have let him take the sword. Lance hopes that whatever it is Keith is planning, he has thought it through. He's always been an act first, think later, kind of guy, and Lance isn't sure that is going to help their situation here.

"Alright," the culprit replies, "you can lower the weapon. I know there's no way I can get out of this."

Keith watches carefully for a moment, then hands the sword back to Lance. He has this weird expression again when doing it, but Lance decides he can ask about it later. Keith sits down across the person, and Lance goes to retrieve his knife from the tree. It takes him some time, Keith can apparently throw a knife _really_ hard, and when he gets back, he sees that Keith still hasn't begun the interrogation. In fact, he looks to be in the process catching his breath and recovering from the chase. Lance makes eye contact with the culprit and tries not to laugh. He can't believe he's bonding with the bad guy. He takes a seat beside Keith, hands over the dagger, and decides he should start this conversation.

"So, who are you, and why are you taking things from those people?"

The culprit actually reveals a lot. They're an orphan, of sorts; they've been alone for as long as they can remember. They reckon their family was killed in the war. Everything was messy then, so there was nothing that could be organised and no one to take care of them. Once the war ended, they tried to integrate into society, but was outcast. They stole things in order to get by, food for the day, clothes, bedding for when it got colder. They never wanted to hurt anyone, however sometimes had no choice but to do so. They discovered a black market recently, where they could sell what they stole, which is why they got more daring and went after more valued items.

Keith had stayed silent the whole time Lance talked with the person. He didn't mind though, because he was genuinely interested in what they had to say, but now he's at a loss for words. He doesn't have any solace to offer save for his words, although he wished he had more. They don't seem like they _want_ to be doing all of this, they just have to in order to survive. They have potential, however Lance doesn't know how he can help them realise it. Silence has settled over the three of them, and while Lance is deliberating this issue, Keith stands up.

"You can change your life around," he uses this tone Lance has dubbed his 'leader voice'. It was amusing to hear the first few times, simply because the circumstances were trivial, but now it automatically makes him admire him. It's effective. "And you can start at the Blade of Marmora. We're always looking for recruits; the war affected the entire universe, there are many who still need our help. We are willing to help you out, so long as you want it." Keith extends his hand, then, and the person takes it without hesitation. Lance watches the whole exchange in awe. He never really considered this to be a part of what Keith does, but now that he's seen it, it makes so much sense. He's snapped out of his daze when the person turns to him and thanks him.

Right. Lance was a part of this, too. He helped Keith. Keith smiles at him, and he's immediately reminded of when he was his right-hand man. Lance had been devastated when Black wouldn't respond to him, and when she responded to Keith, it felt like twisting the knife. He'd always dreamt of being a leader, and now the position was going to the person he wanted to follow least. However, as soon as he saw how much Keith didn't want it, and how insecure he was about the whole thing, his mindset changed. He became determined to assist him in any way he could, to help mould him into the leader Shiro thought he could be. When Lance took over Red, it became more obvious to him that this is where he was meant to be. By Keith's side, _helping_ him lead.

To see Keith as the leader he is today, the way he's so comfortable in his skin, makes Lance so incredibly proud. It also brings back this old, familiar feeling he can't place. He's never been able to. Except he knows it heats him up like fire, like the beams that used to come from Red's mouth, and he remembers being too afraid to dig deeper into exactly what it means because he didn't want to be burnt. Now though, he thinks he might be ready to walk into the flames.

* * *

Before any of them get up to move, Keith uses his communicator to send for Blades to come here so they can return everything the culprit stole. Once they arrive, Keith asks Lance to help them out, while he takes the person to the leader so they can make a formal apology.

Transporting everything takes some time, because there are quite a few heavy boxes. Most of the Blades pair up, or form small groups to move them all into the town square. By the time that's completed, there's already a crowd forming around them, wanting to see what all the commotion is. The Blades start unloading everything, and then the people get rowdy. They're shouting over each other, claiming items, cursing the one who took them. Before anyone can get hurt, Lance steps atop a crate to calm everyone down.

"Alright, if we could have everyone stop for a moment, please?" Surprisingly, they actually do. The area falls silent, and only Lance's voice can be heard. "Yes, these are items that were stolen. I won't give details on anything, as I am sure your leader will discuss all of that later. Please understand, however, that some things may not be present, or could be damaged. Everything was sorted into categories, however many belongings were still mixed together, so the Blades are currently separating everything. We will also, to the best of our ability, divide items into ones that belonged to officials and civilians. We will lay them all out, but wait for your leader before proceeding with returning anything. Thank you for your cooperation."

After Lance's speech, there are still murmurs, and the crowd doesn't disperse, but it's a lot tamer than what was happening before. Lance is proud of himself for being able to do this. He goes back to helping the Blades, and once that's done, they wait for the others to arrive.

When the leader shows up with only Keith in tow, Lance is slightly panicked. Did the leader not agree with Keith's offer? He wants to ask, but Keith stands beside the leader in front of a podium, and Lance knows he can't go up there.

They don't end up staying for much longer after that. The leader addresses everyone, telling them everything will be explained, but that they had to thank the Blade of Marmora first. They've already taken up enough of their time, and they still have other obligations. Keith assures that's not the case, then delivers a speech of his own, commending citizens for staying strong, and telling them the Marmora is here for them at any time. He then bows politely, and the Blades take their leave.

Once they're out of earshot, Lance jogs to catch up to Keith, and finally asks the question that's been on his mind.

"Where's the person we caught?"

"Oh, I took them back to the ship. Didn't want to expose them to a potentially angry crowd. I think the leader is okay with what I proposed, but there's going to be a meeting after the person's trained and all to discuss things a bit more."

Lance breathes a sigh of relief. "Hey," he punches Keith's shoulder lightly, "it's really cool what you're doing for them."

"Mmh. They kind of… remind me of myself." Keith talks much more quietly now, and Lance isn't sure how to reply. He isn't sure if Keith _wants_ a reply. He doesn't end up having to make that decision though, because Keith speaks again. "I'm piloting this time, by the way, I still haven't recovered from the trip here," then he smirks, and takes off.

It riles Lance up, of course, and he yells a 'hey!', before chasing after him. Keith has always been faster than him though, and when he makes it to the ship, it's Keith who bonds with the culprit over Lance catching his breath this time. He just rolls his eyes.

* * *

Lance is just lying on his bed in his room right now. There's still a while until dinner, and he doesn't really feel like doing anything before then. Keith has been busy from the moment they arrived back at base; he had to get the person set up, then catch up with everything else that occurred while they were gone. It must be hard work, he thinks. A lot of responsibility, too. He has enough of that as a teacher, he can't imagine what it's like at the top of an entire intergalactic organisation. He decides to just rest for a while, and he's just about to fall asleep when there's a knock at his door. He sits up, and tells whoever it is to let themselves in.

It's Keith. And of course it is, who else would it be? He makes himself at home without needing to be prompted; he carries the chair from the desk over to the edge of the bed with one arm then sits on it backwards, so he's leaning against the back. It's… very attractive, and Lance has to turn his head, masking his reaction with a cough.

"So, is the sword a new development?"

Lance looks back at Keith and finds him wearing a curious expression. He head is tilted slightly, and his hair hangs that way as well. His question takes Lance back to how he reacted earlier as well, when he saw Lance wielding it. He looked like he wanted to ask, but didn't think it was a good time.

"Nah," Lance smiles widely. He feels proud, all of a sudden. "I unlocked it once with the red bayard. It was an Altean broadsword, Allura had said. Why," Lance leans closer, a smirk playing on his lips, "does it make you feel threatened?"

When Keith simply shakes his head, Lance is slightly disappointed. Actually, a lot. He slumps back down onto the bed. Keith is no fun. Lance waits for Keith to say something, but he doesn't for a while, so he sits back up again. He finds that the former Black Paladin is debating something with himself, his eyebrows are furrowed, and he's looking at his hands as if they hold the answer. Lance continues watching him, waiting.

"Whatever happened…" Keith hesitates again, but Lance indicates for him to continue. He thinks he knows where this is going. "What happened with you and Allura, anyways? I was wondering at the reunion, but, well…"

And there it is. It's not that Lance isn't over the breakup, or that there are any bad feelings between them now, but because so many people asked him about it right after it happened, he's instinctively developed a distaste towards the question. He remembers that Keith didn't ask about it, as well. He was one of the only people who didn't do so. And hypocritically enough, it made Lance angry at the time. It made him feel like Keith didn't care about it. After he calmed down though, he realised it was just the kind of person Keith was. Lance thought he might've asked someone else about it, although he's not really too surprised that he didn't.

"Allura and I… It just didn't really work out. I don't know how else to word it. We kind of rushed into the whole thing, I think. I mean, it made sense at the time, we were in the middle of a war, anything could happen at any time, but, I don't know. Did you know I told her I loved her on the first date?" Keith goes wide-eyed. Lance chuckles a bit. "Yeah, I know right? But anyways, it was pretty good after that, although there were a few hiccups. When Allura freed the entity… I didn't like that at all. I didn't like that she was putting herself at risk, we had no clue what could happen to her, and I hated seeing her hurt. Sometimes it felt like she wouldn't listen to me, or even hear out what I had to say. It made me feel like I wasn't as important to her as she was to me.

"That was false, of course, and I learnt that after the war. We were closer than ever, then, and I spent a lot of time with her on Altea helping her rebuild her civilisation. She was the happiest I'd ever seen her; she'd gotten her people back, her home back. I felt thankful to be by her side, to be able to see her like that. We went between Altea and Earth for a while, afterwards. Following all that time in space, I didn't want to spend too much time away from my family and my home. And it was fine. It worked out perfectly. My family loved her and would always welcome her with open arms when we were there, and on Altea I was treated like royalty too. I actually enjoyed helping her with politics and governing and such. It was something new, and I was fascinated by everything. We had fun too, of course. We went on dates in juniberry fields, she showed me around all the places she loved as a kid. We were caught outside once when boiling hot rocks started falling from the sky though, and let me tell you, that is _not_ an experience I want to go through again. Our rain is _much_ better, thank you. And then… her coronation happened."

* * *

Allura's crowning was the grandest event in the whole universe. Planning had gone on for ages, and Allura was super stressed out the whole time. The actual day went off without a hitch, though. People across all planets were invited, Arusians, Balmerans, Puigians, Olkari. If they went to their planet, they were invited. Species from planets they've never even interacted with before were there. Members of the Voltron Coalition were present, as well as those from the Blade of Marmora, and the Galactic Coalition. Hunk's 'culinary empire', as the team had dubbed it, catered for the event, and were praised endlessly for their delicious foods. The Castleship, which had been rebuilt, was decorated from top to bottom, and it had never been livelier.

The greatest sight of them all though, and the most important, was of course, the princess, who would soon become a queen. Her coronation gown had a slim-cut bodice, with puff shoulders like her mother's dress had had, long, gold sleeves, and a bell-shaped skirt. It was all white, with gold accents, and a few blue ones. The skirt was made up of layers, with the main part being blue, and layers of white covering it. Stones from all over were collected and made into little jewels to decorate the gown. It was as if she was the universe, and all the gems were stars. She also wore a coronation robe; it was made up of a light pink middle, which had a darker pink border, to honour the fallen, and white linings. It also had white details.

Allura's hair was done half up, with a braid down the middle, and juniberries woven within. Her new crown was also a circlet, except it was altered to fit her new status. It was flipped, so it pointed upwards, and the band was a lot thicker. There were no sharp edges this time, just smooth curves which met at the centre. And in the middle of that, a new Balmera crystal was placed. She appeared ethereal, truly, and it was everything she deserved.

During the physical crowning, Lance stood with the rest of Team Voltron and watched as the crown was lowered onto Allura's head. He smiled as he looked on, feeling incredibly happy and proud. He was so glad that after everything she'd gone through, she could stand before her friends and family, her people, as well as all the other lives she'd touched, at her home. Tears had already streamed down his cheeks before he knew it, and he raised a hand to touch his face as if to confirm the fact he was crying. He didn't really feel any of it though, because he could only focus on what was happening in front of him. Next to him, he noticed that Coran had started crying as well, which brought a fresh wave of tears.

Afterwards, it was a big party. Everyone got to mingle with each other, and tour the castle. Allura was approached every few ticks and congratulated. She had changed into a much simpler gown, but still looked gorgeous. Lance stood by her side the whole time, still a bit dazed by the whole thing. His girlfriend was the _queen_ of Altea. When this fact popped into his mind multiple times throughout the night, he became incredibly self-conscious, and suddenly began second guessing everything. He couldn't mess up and embarrass Allura. He became much more careful and reserved. Allura noticed, of course, and took his hand to squeeze it. She didn't say anything, but it calmed him immediately, and he knew what she was conveying with her eyes. She was telling him not to worry, so he didn't. He smiled, squeezed her hand back, and continued to entertain the guests with a much more relaxed mindset.

When the event ended and all the guests had left, Lance looked at Allura and waited to see what she wanted to do. She would no doubt have even more responsibilities and obligations now, and Lance didn't know how she was feeling. He was nervous as he waited, but realised it was all for naught when Allura turned to him, and said 'can we please lie down now? I'm _exhausted_ '. Lance shouldn't have worried at all, because no matter Allura's title, she was still the same girl he fell for all that time ago, she was still the same Allura. He took her hand, replied with 'of course', and led her down the hall to their room.

* * *

"Once Allura became queen, she couldn't really stay anywhere else for too long or travel much. She had to lead the Alteans, after all. And I couldn't really not stay on Earth. I was about to start the teaching job, and I didn't really want to impose. I think I was kind of adamant about this because I didn't want it to seem like I was freeloading off Allura. I wasn't, of course, and she knows I wasn't as well, but, I don't know. In hindsight I was also… afraid, to stay on Altea, I guess. At the end of the day I _was_ still a foreigner, and no matter how much the citizens liked me, there were still many things I didn't really get.

"Before our first date I had a talk with Coran, and he lectured me on all these customs and stuff, then you comforted me about that, do you remember? Well, turns out they do have a lot and they _are_ important. Not as much as before, of course, because it was a new era, and since they were rebuilding their home, they could alter the rules as well, but many were still required to maintain order.

"We were trying long distance, but it just didn't work out. I felt insecure, I suppose. I started pulling away, and Allura didn't have the time to chase me, and it was unfair of me to have expected her to do so in the first place. It's kind of my fault, I think. I do know that she blamed her position, though. Prior to our breakup we fought about it a lot, and once she asked me 'would it be different if I weren't a queen?'. It felt like a punch to the gut. And I couldn't even deny it because it _did_ have to do with that, just not in the way she thought. I was simply too scared. And I'm forever going to be sorry for that.

"But yeah, that's basically it. We decided to end it one day, I moped for ages, but I'm okay with it now, and we're still as close as ever. I am eternally grateful for our relationship, however I know that it never would've worked out."

Lance shrugs at the end of his monologue, unsure of what else to do or say. Keith, who has been listening intently to his words the whole time, doesn't react right away either. Keith didn't really show any big reactions throughout, but Lance knew what to look for. He's subtle in the way he expresses himself. The softening of the corners of his eyes, the slight nod of his head, the light tap of his fingers against the chair. Lance sees all of it.

Finally, after some time, Keith sits up straight, and looks Lance in the eyes. "I'm sorry." He sounds a bit awkward, like he doesn't think if this is the right thing to do, but doesn't know what else to say. Lance doesn't mind, though. He waves it off.

"It's fine, dude. It happened ages ago. In the end it was a good learning experience, as well."

Keith relaxes then, and appears much more comfortable. "I still can't believe you once dated a _queen_."

"I know, right?" Lance grins. "Crazy stuff."

"Not the craziest thing that happened, I would argue." Keith is suddenly pensive, his voice goes all light, and he gazes back down at his hands, where his fingers are interlaced.

Lance gives him a questioning gaze, but either he doesn't notice it, or he doesn't want to elaborate. He then stands, and Lance looks up at him. While they stare into each other's eyes, Lance tries to get something, anything, from Keith, but he can't. It's like he's put all his walls up, and not even Lance can climb them.

"I'll get going then," Keith says, turning to leave, although he turns back to add, "dinner will be ready soon". It doesn't seem like he's waiting for a response, but Lance gives him one anyways.

"See you."

After Keith exits the room, Lance flops back onto his bed. He watches the ceiling for a bit, then turns onto his stomach and rests his head against his arms. What was that at the end? Why did Keith's demeanour suddenly change? Lance groans, not caring if others can hear him through the walls. God, Keith is still the same as always, isn't he? Being absolutely mysterious when he wants to be. Lance is frustrated. He was under the impression that they made good progress today, with the mission they completed together, and all that.

As soon as the thought passes Lance's mind, he freezes. _What_ progress is he talking about? He wasn't aware that there was some kind of goal here, something he wanted to achieve. Now he whines, kicking his legs against the bed. Great, add that to the list of things Lance needs to figure out.

* * *

 **A/N:** ignore the fact that their ships can probably pilot themselves I just really wanted to have flirty keith and flustered lance fdhfjksdf

anyways this is about it for all the action in this! from here on out it'll be a lot of talks and stuffs

I'm gonna learn from my past mistakes and not guarantee anything, but I will try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can (also here's me apologising in advance again if that ends up taking a while)

as always, feel free to review! let me know what you liked!

(hmu on tumblr at riskeith if ya want)


	4. it's been there all along

**A/N:** (this is late again sorry but)

Happy New Year! May 2019 be kind to all of us~

and now onto the penultimate chapter! it features a wedding, I wonder whose? enjoy :)

* * *

After everything that's happened the past few days, Lance is glad to finally catch a break. The Blade of Marmora isn't too busy right now, so Keith is using this opportunity to get up to date with and complete some other admin tasks. He leaves Lance to his own devices, and he couldn't be more thankful. He'd forgotten how taxing it was to go on missions every day, how much it tires you out. For the first time, he's actually looking forward to this experience ending. And speaking of, since he has the day off today, he decides to start reflecting and attempt to figure out everything that's been going on recently.

Following breakfast, Lance heads up to the observatory, where it's luckily empty, and where he can see all the stars. He didn't even know that the headquarters had one; in fact, he only found out about it this morning after he'd enquired what some of the Blades' favourite rooms were. He expressed his surprise at the mention of it, and it turns out it wasn't actually here before. When they were renovating the base, Keith had it specially made. It was one of the only things he had been adamant about. He let others suggest different kinds of spaces as well, and mostly gave the architects free range to do as they pleased, but adding an observatory was a must. Since the headquarters was located between two black holes, it wasn't possible to see any stars directly from inside, so the observatory has screens simulating the stars that are outside. And for that reason, it is also possible to see the stars in other galaxies.

Lance snorted after hearing all of that, without thought, which resulted in everyone looking at him funnily. "What," he tried to hold back laughter, thinking this was some kind of a joke, "you're telling me _Keith_ looks at the stars?" Stargazing is such a calm and still activity, that Lance had difficulty believing Keith, who's always running into action, who lives and breathes piloting and fighting, willingly does something like that. Everyone appeared just as confused, if not more, after Lance spoke.

"Yeah?" The confirmation came out sounding like a question. "He's actually there a lot."

And Lance went silent. His face dropped immediately, and he felt embarrassed. "Oh," he muttered, and he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. It felt like he had disrespected everyone, by making that assumption about their leader. He was quick to apologise, "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"No!" he got cut off by someone else, "it's perfectly fine. We were surprised at first too. We're the ones who should be sorry, making a guest uncomfortable like that."

"Yeah," another chimed in, "although we all assumed it's something you would've known, since—" They stopped abruptly for some reason, and Lance thought he saw them wince.

"Anyways," the one who first spoke smiled at Lance, "we're all very glad to have met you." Lance smiled back. Something he did miss about space was all the different kinds of people there. Everyone had their own story, their own characteristics.

Lance walks to the furthest part of the observatory from the door, and sits on one of the steps there. He brings his knees up, and rests his arms, crossed, against them. He looks at the screen in front of him, where the stars are broadcasted; although, if he hadn't been told it wasn't actually a window, he wouldn't have known at all. It seems very real, like the stars are right there. He does nothing except observe them for a bit, sees if he can pick out any interesting shapes.

During that time, he can't help but think back to the fact Keith often stargazes. Lance had never thought about it before, but in hindsight it makes a lot of sense. After all, what else is there to do in a desert?

When Lance looks at the stars now, it isn't painful anymore. It's not like when he first came out to space, where it only told him how far away he was from his home, how he couldn't even catch a glimpse of the Milky Way from Arus. And now, he knows that everything is connected, like they'd been told on Olkarion, that nothing is ever really far away. He finds himself going outside to look at the stars now, every once in a while. When he does, he thinks about how he once longed to see them, and all their constellations. He's able to see their true beauty, and it makes him feel at peace. It doesn't make him feel small anymore, because he's travelled throughout all of space, and he knows the impact one person can make.

After a while, Lance decides to change the broadcast to one from Earth. It brings him comfort, and he thinks it'll help his train of thought. Immediately, he's struck with the idea that Keith might do this too. He doesn't know what he thinks of Earth, if he thinks of it as home, but there must be some good memories for him there. He wonders what Keith feels when looking at the stars, and whether they've ever been looking at them at the same time.

Keith is… a lot different to how he was before, but at the same time, he hasn't changed at all. When he came to tell Lance about the trip he was about to go on this morning, they had bickered like they used to.

"Feel free to do anything you want while I'm gone," Keith had told him. "You can take a ship and explore some nearby places too, if you'd like."

"Nah," Lance waved his hand, "I'll just stay here and relax."

"Yeah," Keith nodded, "that's a good idea. You shouldn't risk flying if I'm not going to be there to save you."

Lance had started nodding along, thinking Keith was kind to look out for him like that, but then the words registered, and he froze. "Are you serious? That again? I'm a good pilot and you know it!"

"Sure thing, bud," Keith chuckled. He turned and started to walk away, "see you later!"

"Race me then, before I go," Lance challenged, even though he knew he'd lose, and then, "bye!"

Keith simply waved in response.

Lance laughs when he recalls it.

Something Lance is sure of is that Keith is a lot more comfortable in his own skin now. He knows his place in this universe, he knows what he has to do, and he does it well. He's somewhat tall, but still shorter than Lance, which he revels in. He has more muscles as well; Lance can tell from the way his uniform fits his body, not that he's been looking, although it's not entirely obvious. He's still pretty slim. He leads others with ease, and they are more than happy to listen to him. He doesn't seem as reserved either, there's no pent-up anger. There's this lightness around him, and he appears a lot happier. It makes Lance happy, too.

After being around Keith these past few days, Lance can't help but compare it to what they were like before. He thinks back to their rivalry. In the beginning, they couldn't work together at all. Lance was always trying too hard to _beat_ Keith, which meant he lost sight of the bigger picture, and Keith always responded to Lance's challenges, if he wasn't already elsewhere doing everything on his own. He knows now that despite Keith reacting every time, it was very much a one-sided rivalry, one Lance had come up with because of the way he felt. He always felt inferior to Keith, he always placed below him, and he was jealous. He thought the only way he could feel validated was if he beat Keith. But in actual fact, he also wanted to gain his attention. Behind closed doors, he admired the guy, and even if he also resented him, he wanted to be like him. When Keith didn't recognise him at first glance, it hurt him more than he'd like to admit, so after that he made sure to do everything he could so Keith wouldn't forget him again.

The Galra invading the Castle of Lions had been the big turning point in the way Lance viewed Keith. He isn't sure what it is, but when Keith came to him after defeating Sendak, when he reached a hand out to Lance, something started to blossom. He was still somewhat out of it, but he remembers Keith's expression clearly, after he told him they made a good team. It was one of the first genuine smiles Lance had seen from him, and Lance remembers thinking that he should smile like that more, because he looked good when doing it. He looked soft, all the sharp edges were gone, and Lance didn't know he had this side to him.

He drifted in and out of consciousness after that, although he remembers being carried somewhere. Strong arms held him, and it made him feel safe, and he was warm, and he didn't want to leave this position, ever. He'd never really dated before, but he decided that this was something he would like. To be held. He thinks there was talking too, whispered reassurances, and a few panicked words. At some point, he registered it was Keith holding him, but he closed his eyes again and let himself be cradled. He was too weak to walk by himself anyways, and even if he wasn't, he doesn't think he would've moved. He concluded that he liked this a lot.

After coming out of the healing pod and recovering, his first instinct was to deny the whole thing ever happened, and he followed it, without ever really knowing why. He questioned it a few times afterwards, but every time he skirted towards the topic, he would panic, and change to something else that was safer. He dreamt about it a few times too, which made it hard to forget. And it would always be accompanied by… this _thing_. Something that felt like reassurance, telling him he was enough; something that was similar to an embrace, accepting all of him, for who he was; something that made him stable, made him feel whole.

It's coming back now, as Lance recalls it. This old, familiar feeling. It's one he's never been able to place, he'd always been too afraid to dig further, but he's tired of wondering, so he takes that step, and then it hits.

* * *

Next to Allura's coronation, Lance's next favourite big event that occurred would have to be Shiro and Adam's wedding.

It was nothing grand, they weren't those kinds of people, but it was special nonetheless. It took place pretty much in Shiro and Adam's backyard. After the war, they'd decided they were done with all the adventure and action for this lifetime. They were tired, they wished to relax, and they just wanted to settle down. They moved into a small house by the coast, and had been spending their days together there ever since. Behind their house was a section of green grass, which led to the beach. It was the perfect place to host a wedding with close friends and family.

Not long after Adam and Shiro moved into their new home, maybe one and a half weeks tops, wedding invitations were sent out. It was nothing surprising, per se, everyone knew of their relationship, although it did feel like everything was moving very fast. As in, their wedding was only _two_ weeks after the invitations went out. They actually stressed the fact it was a casual event in the message, and told everyone not to freak out, but how could they not? This would be the first event they're attending after the war that didn't have to do with it. It was the first sign that things were returning to normal, to what it was like _before_.

Lance was ecstatic about the news; he'd seen Shiro with Adam in the halls at the Garrison when he was still a student, and to be able to see his hero get married to the man he loves… He couldn't wait for it. The preparations were exciting too, despite how little time they had. He got to talk about what weddings were like here compared to on Altea with Allura, and they went shopping together for outfits.

As Lance watched Allura try on dresses, watched her twirl and pose, he couldn't help but smile the whole time. She looked amazing, regardless of what she wore, and she appeared carefree and happy for the first time in a long time. Lance tried to savour it, tried not to take it for granted, because he knew that after this wedding they may not have an opportunity to be like this again. Allura had to go to Altea to help her people get settled back home, begin with preparations for her coronation, and Lance wanted to be there to help in any way he could. He was brought out of his thoughts when Allura stepped out of the changeroom again, and she waved shyly as he stared at her, mouth opened slightly. "Wow…" he said, regaining his composure, "absolutely gorgeous."

In the end, Allura chose a light pink dress made of silk. It had spaghetti straps, and it fit loosely, allowing the fabric to flow. It was a blouson dress, the material from the bodice fell in a fold over the waistband, and the skirt went down to her ankles. Lance bought a dark navy suit, as well as a tie in a similar shade to Allura's dress. He didn't know how many events more events they would go to where they could match, so he was going to make the most of it now.

On the actual day, Lance was nervous. He didn't know why; maybe because he hadn't been to a wedding in forever and was worried they'd overdressed, or because he wanted everything to be perfect, for Shiro and Adam. In the end, of course, he learnt there was no need to be anxious at all. Despite the couple reiterating it was a casual event, everyone was dressed quite formally. It seemed like Shiro and Adam tried to make it seem like a not big deal, but everyone took it that way anyways. Lance had a feeling they knew it would turn out like this though, their house was decorated very nicely. It was either that, or the two men have taken up arts and crafts in their spare time.

The ceremony wasn't really structured like it would be 'traditionally', whatever that means now. The bit where they actually got married was short enough that everyone was happy to be standing during it, as they didn't have any chairs, and it took place as the sun started setting. Adam and Shiro were backlit by the ocean, the sun, and the colourful sky. Keith acted as the officiant, and he talked a bit about what this day meant to him personally, about how he had the two people before him to thank for raising him into the person he is today, before allowing them to say their vows.

Lance can't remember much of it, but he knows he cried. He never expected to, however he did always get emotional easily, so it wasn't that big of a shock. He recalls his eyes welling up when Adam had started his speech with "Takashi, if I met with my younger self right now, I don't know who would cry harder". It was a statement that resonated with him, one he would think about many times afterwards. He finally let the tears fall once Shiro finished speaking with "Adam, from this day on, for every day to come, I will make sure to show you just how important you are to me, although all the time in the world won't be enough to truly express how deep my love runs for you". He listened to Keith pronounce them husband and husband, and watched them kiss with blurry vision, unable to wipe his tears as he was clapping with his hands.

He was teased about crying afterwards, and although he acted annoyed about it, he really didn't care at all. He was happy, truly. And it felt good to finally cry happy tears again. The whole thing had him imagining what his own wedding would be like, and he felt a surge of emotion just picturing it, and had to stop before tears welled up again.

* * *

Before long, night had fallen, and they started to have a party. It wasn't much, none of them were that young anymore; they were mostly just eating and catching up with each other, but they also had music playing, and a small part of the space had become a dancefloor. Lance spent most of his time there, dancing with Allura, and showing off his moves. At some point, just as Lance started to tire out, Hunk and Matt had joined in, and Lance noticed Keith was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the area, suddenly becoming nervous, but relaxed when he found a figure sitting on the sand, close to the water. He looked awfully lonely, so Lance excused himself and made his way over.

"Hey," Keith greeted him without turning his head, as Lance sat down next to him. His shoes were placed neatly beside him, and his pants legs were rolled up so they wouldn't get wet. He had his knees drawn up slightly, so that when the waves came in, they'd only wash over his feet.

Lance looked in front of them, wondering what had Keith so captivated, and then he saw it. In the ocean, with the water now as dark as the sky above them, and the moon leaving a trail of light, all the stars were being reflected. It was as if they were right at the edge of the sky, peering into it. It made Lance feel like if he put his hand in the ocean, then lifted it from the water, the stars would become attached to his skin, making it glitter and twinkle. It was a beautiful sight, and he was so awestruck that he forgot to reply to Keith. When he realised this, it took a lot of effort to open his mouth to speak. He almost didn't want to; he didn't want to ruin the ambience, the stillness that had settled over them.

"You did a good job, by the way," he said in the end. It was something he'd been meaning to tell the guy, he'd just gotten distracted by everything.

"Thanks," Lance heard Keith smile more than he saw it. He was still watching the blend of the sky and ocean, only seeing Keith in his peripheral vision. "I was nervous as fuck."

Lance chuckled slightly. "Well, you had nothing to worry about."

"What brings you here, anyways?" Keith finally turned to look at Lance, and that made him tear his eyes away too. Keith looked different, and it took Lance a moment to notice exactly why. Keith's being was entirely relaxed; a lot more open, more vulnerable. There was nothing hidden in his features, no masking of his emotions; all was laid bare. Lance could only assume it was a result of the wedding, although he never would've guessed he was the kind of person to get sentimental too.

"Nothing, really. I saw you sitting here by yourself, and, well, Allura can outdance even me, so I'm taking a break."

Keith only hummed in response. Suddenly, for some reason, Lance felt like the atmosphere had become awkward. Keith wasn't much of a talker in the first place, and he seemed to be even less of one like this. Lance didn't know how to talk to him. He then reprimanded himself for thinking that way, because he hadn't even tried yet. Besides, he should be focusing on the fact Keith was comfortable enough to let all his walls down around him. He didn't think he was realising how big this was.

"Shiro and Adam seem like a nice couple." As soon as the words left his mouth, Lance cringed. What was he doing? Things would only get more awkward now.

However, Keith surprised him. He not only refuted Lance's statement, he also spoke more than Lance thinks he'd ever had in a conversation between them. "Eh, not really. They've had to work through a lot of things. Adam was injured badly following the humans' initial attack against the Galra forces, and Shiro went back to space before they could find the opportunity to have a proper talk about anything. Adam was still angry about Kerberos, over how Shiro had gone on that mission despite the health risks, and he was now angri _er_ because Shiro had left again. Without visiting him at all." Lance went wide-eyed at this. Keith scoffed. "Yeah, I know right? Sometimes I really wonder who the bigger idiot is, between the two of us. And the thing is, he wasn't even the one to tell me. It was Adam.

"I didn't visit him right away, because I wasn't sure of what he'd think of me now, and I wanted to give him and Shiro space to figure their things out first. When I finally did, well, he was upset, for starters. Because after Shiro was gone, I shut him out entirely, then I vanished too. And then he told me he was proud of me for everything I've done, and we talked a lot, about me finding out who I was, and about how he had been conducting research in his spare time, because the Garrison wouldn't tell him anything, and he _knew_ we weren't dead. It was good to see him, truly. He still treated me like a little brother, as he always had. And then, just before I got up to left, he asked 'how's Takashi?'. I was taken aback, because I'd assumed Shiro had been with him whenever he had the time, but I was wrong. He hadn't gone to see him at all. And I was so angry. Adam noticed, and he smiled, telling me it was alright, but his eyes betrayed him. He was hurting. I told him I would make Shiro tell him himself how he was, and stormed out of the room.

"I immediately went to find Shiro to confront him about this, and you know what he said, while looking down at the floor? 'It's for the best'." Keith laughed out loud, and his features followed, but it was obvious he didn't find it funny at all. "That made me all the more furious. 'For who?' I asked, and I was yelling now, because it didn't make any sense to me. 'For you? For Adam? For _who_?'. You see, I hadn't known about the falling out they had before Shiro left to go to Kerberos. He told me about it to placate me, and it sort of worked, but I still didn't get it. There was no doubt that Shiro still loved him, so why? I expressed this, and then he told me that was exactly the reason. _Because_ he loved him, he was going to stay away. I think he somehow knew already, that we'd end up leaving. And he didn't want to hurt Adam again. I dropped it after that, because it obviously pained him to think and talk about.

"The last time I visited Adam before we left, he told me he didn't know whether he could do it anymore. Wait for Shiro, that is. He thought walking away the first time would stop him, but it didn't, and he hated the way they parted, and the news of what happened _destroyed_ him, and when he came back, it was like he had been revived. When he never came to see him, he held onto hope that he would, if he waited long enough. But now, Shiro was going away again. He didn't know if he could go through all of that a second time, and thought maybe it was time to really let go. I told him I understood, that I would support whatever decision he chose to make, despite knowing how they actually felt for each other. It just wasn't my place to say anything. I don't know. I'm lucky it turned out well. I don't know what I would have done if one of them didn't make it out, and I could've done something so they could have one last moment together.

"Anyways, while we were gone, Adam realised he couldn't move on. In fact, he couldn't live without Shiro. And so after Shiro returned to Earth for the third time, Adam went after him, and they talked, argued, probably made out, gross, argued some more, and finally made up. The rest is, as they say, history."

Lance was still pretty shocked by how much Keith was saying, and to add his words on top of that… Lance had no clue how he should react. Keith let silence fall over them, probably to allow Lance to process everything as well, but it really was a lot. In the end, all he could manage was an "oh", but he thinks the weight of it summed everything up. He had nothing else to add, and Keith didn't seem like he was going to say much more either. He was still watching in front of them, but was looking up at the moon this time, with something like an expression of longing written on his face. That was new, so Lance decided to ask about it, and tease him at the same time.

"What's with that look?" He moved and tilted his head so he could see Keith better, "do you have a special someone too?"

When Keith didn't make any movement right away, Lance backed off. He was worried he'd overstepped his bounds, and opened his mouth to apologise, but froze when Keith turned his head and looked at him. His expression was still soft, so incredibly soft, and he was kind of just… observing Lance. It put Lance on the spot, he wasn't sure whether he should do something, but ultimately decided to sit still and let Keith do whatever he was doing. He tried to follow Keith's eyes, but made eye contact at one point, and had to look away. For some reason, it made him feel shy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Keith turned back, and muttered, so quietly that Lance almost missed it, "yeah".

It made Lance perk up immediately. This was very exciting. Keith liked someone? He's _with_ someone right now? He really wanted to know what kind of person Keith had fallen for. "Who is it? And why haven't we met them yet?" Lance was probably acting like an excited child, but he couldn't help it. And then, Keith's reply broke his heart a little. Or, well, a lot.

"Because we aren't together. He's with someone else. They're happy. And I'm okay with it." The pronoun caused Lance to stop breathing for a moment. The detail that this person was male did something weird to him, it struck him in an odd way. It didn't make him jealous, or possessive; rather, something like protective? As if he wanted to make sure whoever Keith liked would've actually been good for him. Although, the fact that the person was already taken, and Keith was just alright with it, hurt. See, Lance has always been a romantic. Say what you will about it not being realistic, but he's always wished for everyone to have a happy ending. To find the one that's meant for you, whom you'll spend the rest of your days with. He loved the idea of it.

"Don't you…" Lance hesitated, not sure if he should be asking this, or whether Keith would be okay with it. In the end, he decided he had to know. "Don't you want your happiness?"

Keith smiled in response, warmer than Lance had ever seen. "Nah, it's fine. I'm content. I've liked this person for a long time, and once I came to terms with it, I understood why I felt that way, and why he made me feel that way. I knew things could turn out the way they did, but I'm fine with it." He sounded resolute, he meant every word he was saying. Lance accepted it, since Keith seemed all right with it, but it still made him sad.

"Well, either way, I hope you get to find your happiness." Keith faced Lance, his smile smaller but just as tender, and then his eyes shifted to something behind Lance.

"Someone's looking for you."

Lance whipped his body around immediately, and found Allura standing at the border of where the grass met the sand, watching the two of them. He grinned automatically, and got up, brushing himself off. He waved goodbye to Keith, then made his way over to Allura. They started heading back to the party, hand in hand, but Lance had to take one last glance back.

The sight was breathtaking. Keith, in his white suit, stood out against the dark, almost black, night sky and ocean. He blended into the scene almost perfectly, like the foam of the waves, like the stars and moon of the sky. He was watching something above him, his hair moving gently with the passing breeze. Lance didn't want to move; he didn't want to tear his eyes away. He remembers thinking how nice it would've been if Keith had someone beside him.

* * *

It was _him_. Lance doesn't know why he's so sure about it, but he just _knows_. And suddenly, everything falls into place; the pieces click; the stars align. There's a flood of emotions, and memories, and it unlocks something inside Lance that's been there for a very long time, and it all comes bursting out of the place they'd been stored.

When they first met, they barely knew anything about the world. The one exception to that was Keith knew how to fly. He was top of the class, and Lance was envious. He wanted to beat him, more than anything. The worst thing was, Keith didn't even seem to have to try. He was a natural. Lance despised him, despite knowing nothing about the boy. Every time Lance saw Keith's name in the top ranked spot, his blood boiled. He was determined to take his place, to become number one.

When Keith was expelled from the Galaxy Garrison, Lance had no idea what to feel. On the one hand, he became a fighter pilot, he accomplished the first step in achieving his lifelong dream. It was possibly the happiest he'd been in his life. But on the other hand, Keith was gone. He had been Lance's source of motivation for so long, and then he just wasn't there anymore. Lance would never admit this, but he actually missed the guy. Only because he couldn't rub his achievement in his face though, of course.

When Lance saw Keith in the quarantine zone holding Shiro up, all those previous bitter emotions came back. Once they got into space, he roped Keith into competitions whenever he could, resolved to show him he had gotten better. In all honesty, he didn't really know how to act. Keith was his rival, and now they were being told they needed to be the best teammates ever, or else the universe would be destroyed. It didn't turn out to be a predicament though, because…

When Keith held his hand after Sendak invaded the castle, when he carried him all the way to the healing pod, Lance started toying with the idea of what it'd be like to fall for him. He really wasn't as unbearable as Lance had thought he was, and when they put their minds to it, they were in sync in a way he didn't believe could arise from practise. There was just something about the two of them, whether it be their personalities, the elements of their lions, or their weapons, that allowed them to work so well together.

When Lance became Keith's right-hand man, he started to really like him as well. Every time Keith trusted Lance to help him, Lance swelled with pride. It was different to when he became a fighter pilot; he didn't _beat_ Keith at anything, but he didn't care about that anymore. Their duties were so much bigger than them, there was no time for petty rivalry. Lance seemed to be the only one Keith listened to, the only one who could calm Keith down, and that fact made Lance trust him more than anyone else as well. It allowed him to seek him out for advice, for another opinion, for comfort, even, when he was at his lowest. It all made him feel like they were already something more than teammates, more than a leader and his second-in-command. So…

When Keith left Team Voltron to join the Blade of Marmora, it left him devastated. He thought they'd built something between them, that they were moving towards something. Apparently, he was wrong. The worst part was that he thought it was partially his fault. If he hadn't gone to Keith about his concerns over who piloted the lions, Keith might not have left at all. And when he was away, Lance became invisible again. He was the seventh wheel once more. After he got over the initial sadness, he was angry. And he took it out on Keith, as it was easiest, because he wasn't there. It felt like he ran away, like he was scared of what they could be, or like he didn't want Lance after all. In a fit of frustration, Lance decided he didn't want Keith either. But, of course, everything is easier said than done.

When Lance made that decision, Keith came back. And he seemed different. He looked older, taller, and if you pestered Lance enough, he would say, more handsome. He thought things would go back to how they were, but Keith just brushed him aside, and it felt like a rejection. He was too quick to jump to conclusions, though. They eventually returned to their old dynamic, with Keith trusting Lance to lead the team when he couldn't, and sneaking in a bit of banter every now and then.

When they were in the final stretch to ending the war, Keith comforted him many times. There was the time with the sunset, the day before they left Earth, the hours before his first date with Allura. Keith spoke to him in a way he'd never done before. He reassured him that he had nothing to be nervous about, that Allura actually liked him, and complimented him a bunch as well. Looking back on it now, Lance realises it was the exact same tone he was using on the night of Shiro and Adam's wedding. And when Lance had been worried about Allura, Keith was the one who made his concerns go away.

It's different to the way he loved Allura. With Keith, it was, _is_ , subtle. It's something that's been there for a while, he just hadn't uncovered it, and required the help of a revival of emotions to do so. Their dynamic was such that they were able to become better versions of themselves from the way they interacted with each other. They pushed each other to go further with their competitions, and they built a sense of trust and security every time they had to work together.

It's all so obvious now. Suddenly, all those feelings Lance couldn't place before, the ones he couldn't name, the heat that had kept him warm in the coldest of times, they finally make sense. And now… it could be too late.

* * *

 **A/N:** also I realised I completely forgot about Kosmo… doggo I'm so sorry. however! I'm bringing him back next chap hehehe

I've also finally figured out what's going to go into ch5, so hopefully (hopefully!) I'll have it out v soon

thanks for reading, as always, feel free to comment, and find me on tumblr (riskeith)!


	5. the final race

**A/N:** 3+ weeks and 25k+ words later we arrive at the final chapter! I hope you have enjoyed reading this, because I sure liked writing it.

hope you guys like this last one, too.

* * *

Lance is pacing. He had thought out a whole plan of how things would go; Keith would come back, he would find him, and they would talk. Lance would hint at their past, subtly indicate he realised he has feelings for him, then they would go from there. Instead, there has been no sign of Keith at all, even though Lance knows he got back in late this morning. Lance understands that Keith is technically working, which means he might not have the chance to see him, but it would've just made everything so much easier. Lance lies back on the edge of his bed, feet dangling down the side, considers his options, and groans. He's going to have take the initiative, isn't he?

Finding Keith isn't all that hard. By now, he's familiar with a lot of the Blades, and isn't shy about approaching them anymore. He manages to run into someone when turning into the main hallway, and asks where Keith is.

"Ah, you're in luck!" they reply. "We just finished a meeting, he should still be in the conference room."

"Alright, thanks!" Lance nods in appreciation, and heads over to where the room is.

Lance has never actually been to the room before, but it's pretty hard to miss. It's in the middle of the hallway, and has larger doors than any other beside it. The inside is pretty typical, it reminds Lance of the meeting room on the Atlas. Only, all the screens are purple, instead of orange.

When Lance enters, Keith is standing at the end of the table with his back to the door, looking at the projection in front of him. Beside him, is Kosmo. The space wolf notices him first, and before Lance knows it, he's been knocked onto the ground and the side of his face is suddenly very, very wet. He stands up and wipes off the slobber, then wraps his arms around the animal's neck, burying his face in its fur.

"Hi, buddy! God, you're so big! I remember when you were still a wee little, or, well, medium-sized pup!" Kosmo nudges Lance and growls a bit, to which Lance chuckles, holds his hands up in surrender, and says "okay, no more comparisons shall be made. I know how annoying it can be." Kosmo lifts his head up, satisfied, then teleports back to Keith's side.

"Hey, Lance," Keith greets, petting Kosmo on the head. His voice is incredibly warm, sweet like honey, and Lance feels like he's getting drunk off it. He shakes his head clear of these thoughts when he catches himself, because what? It's not like in the span of a day Keith has suddenly changed. Just because Lance has realised he has feelings now, doesn't mean he has to see Keith differently. But, he guesses belatedly, it does. For so long this part of him was buried, and now that it's been uncovered, everything Lance avoided thinking about before surfaces.

"How were your missions?" Lance asks, in attempt to get rid of unwelcome thoughts.

"Good," Keith replies frankly, in a manner that may even be considered curtly, but Lance doesn't call him out on it. He goes back to reading whatever he was reading before, while Lance bounces on the balls of his feet. He feels like the atmosphere has gotten awkward; Keith seems like he isn't up for conversation, but the question has been nagging at Lance's mind since yesterday, and he's impatient. He decides to jump the gun.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course." Keith doesn't take eyes off the screen, and Lance is thankful. He's suddenly very shy, and the pounding of his heart is getting heavier, and his mouth is dry. He swallows, breathes in deeply, calms his nerves, and takes the leap. Whatever happens next will determine everything.

"Did you…" the words that are meant to follow get caught in Lance's throat, and he has to try again. "Did you used to like me?"

Pause. Everything is suspended. Lance breathes heavily, despite the lack of activity, and his breaths sound so incredibly loud in the now silent room. Keith's hand, raised with the index finger pointing to the spot Keith was focused on, wavers. The only _big_ movement is Kosmo. His gaze shifts between the two of them, and then he whines. As if understanding the situation, he teleports away, his bright, blue glow making everything brighter for a second. When it fades, everything stays still for a moment, before Keith turns around, painstakingly slowly, with an expression that resembles resignation written on his face.

"Yeah."

And that single word, the monosyllable, knocks all the air out of Lance. Except, it doesn't feel like he's suffocating. It's like when he dives into the water which he so dearly loves, and has to hold his breath before rising to the surface. It's the initial shock following a topple from his surfboard, and is plunged into the cool ocean. It's a stepping stone, if you will, leading to the most beautiful moments after. Because once his head breaks the water, once he takes in that first breath, it's _everything_. It's the way his lungs feel full, relishing the sweet, sweet oxygen. It's the feeling of water sliding over him as smooth as silk, with a few droplets clinging onto him like a second skin. It's the view he gets after, of beautiful blue, of everything glistening like diamonds. It's something he wishes he could relive, over, and over again.

Lance is at a loss for words, because he's still replaying the moment, and because he didn't plan this far. Luckily for him, Keith takes over the talking for a bit. He sits down on one of the chairs, and gestures for Lance to take the one beside him. It's little things like this, ones that may not be conscious decisions, that stand out to Lance now. It's the fact that Keith sits next to him, instead of at the head of the table, that speaks volumes on what they are.

"I used to not be able to stand you. You would always be taking jabs at me, and it pissed me off. I hated the Garrison in general. There were just… so many rules, and things to follow, and it just wasn't me. I felt like they were holding me back, so I would always try to sneak in a bit of rebellion here and there. It was true that the only reason I was there was because of Shiro. I wouldn't have gotten in otherwise, and if he wasn't keeping me in line, I would've been expelled ages ago. So when he was gone, I gave up, and I flunked out. In the desert, I put my all into researching that energy, and I honestly forgot about everything else. I forgot about you.

"When we met again, and you jogged my memory, none of my previous resentment really came back. A lot of that was confined to the Garrison, and since we were out of there, it didn't matter. But… I was still annoyed. It was supposed to be a simple task, but then you showed up, with _two_ other people, and then I had to get us _all_ out of there. The first time I got an inkling that you were something special was when we found the blue lion. There was no denying the fact that you were the reason those carvings lit up, and the forcefield retracted. And then, you flew, and I took everything back. Man, have you come far since those days.

"But anyways, after that, I didn't really know _what_ to feel about you. Or any of the others, to be frank. I was so used to be alone, and I had been for so long, that suddenly being thrown into a position where I was _surrounded_ by people and _had_ to get along with everyone was disorienting. I never hated you, or anything, though. I simply retaliated the way I did to all your quips because it's just the kind of person I am. And I let myself be roped into the competitions because I thrive off them. However, it's not like I did them for nothing. They were enjoyable to me. You were someone who I felt like was on my level, someone who I could compete against without either one of us being at a disadvantage.

"I think I started to like you that time you held my hand. As someone who was, for lack of a better word, touch-starved, it was kind of a lot. I didn't like, fall, right away or anything though. But that was the start of it. And following that, we worked seamlessly together whenever we were a unit. It was the first time I started to think that maybe it _was_ better to do things with others. I began to fall a bit deeper as each day went on, though it was subtle, so I didn't really notice it. And when I did realise, it was too late.

"Believe it or not, I'm a pretty emotional person. As in, I base a lot of my decisions on them. Which is why I was so afraid when I liked you. I couldn't have someone else dictate what I should do, it's dangerous. Obviously, as we later found out, it also goes the other way. Without you helping me when I was with Black, who knows what would've happened to the team. But anyways, I was also initially frustrated with the fact it was you, of all people. Because it seemed like you despised me, and we were always butting heads. You were so dramatic and over the top, and you were always flirting up basically anyone we came across. That in particular caused me a lot of grief.

"But then, I came to realise exactly why it could _only_ be you. Because no matter how you acted on the outside, below that was a caring boy, with a heart of gold. Someone who had their own insecurities, but was there for others, and stayed strong on the surface for them. You tried your hardest at everything, even if the results weren't optimal, and you were always trying to better yourself, to become the best version of you possible. And you pushed _me_ to go further too. Our competitions kept me on my toes, and your remarks made me want to prove you wrong. Regardless of how we sometimes behaved though, I knew I could rely on you. You always, _always_ have my back. When I was essentially forced to lead the team, it was terrifying. It was a position I never wanted, because it only solidified the fact Shiro was gone. And when Black responded to me, after all of you, who wanted it so badly, were rejected, it made me feel so guilty. I didn't want it. I couldn't do it.

"You, Lance, are the one who didn't give up on me. You accepted the situation, you accepted me, and you helped me. You kept me in check, and you never got upset with me, even when I led us all into very dangerous scenarios. Throughout our whole Voltron experience, and possibly even my whole life, those were the best times for me. I don't know how to describe it, but with you there by my side, supporting me, I felt like nothing could go wrong. I was so grounded, and I felt so whole, and stable, and I have _never_ felt that before. It made me wonder what it would be like if…

"At the start, I thought maybe I had a chance. But then I saw the way you acted around Allura, and everything that alluded to how you felt about her, and I just knew. I never had a shot. The strange thing is, I was alright with it almost immediately. I think there was a brief period where I moped about it, and cursed the universe, because after everything, after everyone in my life that's left, didn't I deserve to have someone that would stay? But I've essentially always been alone, I've never really known what it's like to be with another, so I figured it wouldn't be as bad as initially thought. I know I'm not really… dateable. I'm not exactly the friendliest person around either, not like you. I don't know that it would've been fair for you, if we were ever together, with the person I was then.

"So after that, I accepted the way things would be, and decided to just be able to be there for you, whenever you needed. It was the least I could do after everything you did for me. You made me a better person, Lance, and I could never thank you enough for that."

Just like the night of Adam and Shiro's wedding, Lance is at an absolute loss for words. Halfway through Keith's speech, Lance couldn't resist not looking at him any longer. He turned his head to watch him speak, but Keith's gaze never wavered from his hands, where they were clasped together. They were still gloved, as always, since it's a part of Marmora uniform, but Lance idly wondered whether Keith would be wearing gloves even if they weren't. He would smile occasionally, as he spoke; small, easy grins that softened all of his features, and warmed Lance from his very core. Even the way Keith spoke about his unrequited feelings, or the way he felt he wasn't worthy… If you couldn't understand what he was saying, you'd never guess the context from his tone. Lance knows he can't change the past, but he wishes something could've been different, so Keith's words could match how he talks.

And for that reason, once Lance looks back down at his own hands resting against the table, he says "I'm sorry". Because Keith was right with his thinking before. So many people had suffered because of the war, and Lance believes that they all deserved some sort of happiness after all of that. They deserved to have what they wanted. And a lot of people got it, but not Keith.

"Nah, don't be. It's something I accepted ages ago." _Except you shouldn't have had to_ , Lance thinks.

Lance has received the answer to one of his questions, but it leads to another. He wrings his hands, debating whether he should actually ask it, and knows that he does. He's the one who has to lead this now, if he wants to reach the conclusion he desires.

"And now?" Lance faces Keith again.

Keith finally looks at him, and steadily replies with "I'm not sure I know what you mean," except Lance knows Keith does. He always knows what Lance aims to convey with his words. Maybe he's trying to give Lance an out though, asking him if it's something he really wants. It is.

"Do you still…" Lance gestures vaguely, because even though he says he's going to chase after it, it doesn't mean he isn't going to be all confident when doing so. Keith is someone he's subconsciously liked since he was a _teenager_ , _years_ and years ago. He doesn't want to mess anything up by saying the wrong thing.

"Some." The reply is almost instantaneous. Keith stares into Lance's eyes, and there's no hesitance at all. When Lance takes in his next breath, it's shaky.

"I—Me too." Lance realises he hasn't actually given Keith any indication that the feelings are, finally, mutual. Keith reels back slightly, eyes widening in shock, before he recovers and raises an eyebrow instead. Lance supposes it's his turn to monologue now.

"These past few days have been crazy. I had no clue what to expect when I came back out here. I was kind of scared, to be honest. We hadn't been around each other in ages, and I didn't know if we'd get along like before. I didn't really know what sort of person you were now. And wow, do I know now.

"Being back here, and going on all those missions with you, brought back a bunch of old feelings. Ones I had never been able to place, but were extremely familiar. Except, there were new ones too. Seeing you the way you are now, with all the confidence, and watching you lead and help others… It made me fall for you. I didn't really notice it though, it turns out I'm kind of dense, but it's also because it's different. The way I feel for you is different to how it was with others.

"And when I looked back on the past, and how I felt about you back then, and how you _made_ me feel, everything came together. I realised I didn't notice it because there was nothing _to_ notice. It wasn't anything new. Sure, some of the experiences were, and there were different things, other details that have only surfaced because of where we are now, but ultimately the reason behind it has been there for a very long time.

"I liked you too. I have since I became the Red Paladin. The intensity of it came and went, but it was always there, no matter what. And _you've_ always been there for me, when no one else was. It only took me, like what, forever, to figure out, but I'm here now. I don't know how much 'some' is, but Keith, I think I might be in love with you."

The expression on Keith's face is one Lance can't decipher. He isn't really moving, either, just sort of staring, and Lance starts to panic a bit. He doesn't know what he should do. He's afraid he's already done too much, and then Keith starts to cry. He makes no attempt to wipe his tears away, or to slow them down or stop them. Instead, he just lets them run down his cheeks. He closes his eyes, and allows them to fall. His mouth quivers a bit, before he sucks in his lips to still them. Lance reaches out to comfort him, then hesitates. He still doesn't know what this means. And then, ever so slowly, so slow that Lance realises what's about to happen and stops breathing, Keith gets close and leans forwards, so that their foreheads touch.

Lance lets his eyes fall closed too, because it's like everything they've done in the past has led to this. This is the final Bonding Moment. When he opens his eyes again, he finds that Keith's eyes are still closed, and he's stopped crying, although his breathing is still uneven, and he holds a hand to his heart.

"I think I might be in love with you too," Keith whispers, and it comes out along with his breath, blending seamlessly, and so quietly, that Lance would've missed it, if it were anyone else but Keith. The confession brings tears to Lance's eyes too, but he wills himself not to cry. He places a hand on the back of Keith's head, pulling him in closer, pressing their foreheads together.

"I'm so sorry it took me this long to figure out."

Keith shakes his head, and Lance's moves with it. He opens his eyes, which are glistening, and smiles widely, teeth and all.

"No," he replies, "don't be. It's—this is more than I ever imagined."

Lance moves, then; pulls back so he is face to face with Keith. He's sure Keith's smile is reflected on his own face. There's an overwhelming amount of emotion and happiness, there's no way he would be able to contain it. He brings his hands up to cup Keith's cheeks. It makes him pout, slightly, and Lance's heart jumps.

"Can I… May I kiss you?"

In lieu of an actual response, Keith leans forwards and presses his lips against Lance's. It's… everything. It's all the things Lance mentioned before, when Keith confirmed the fact he used to like him. This is something that will join the list. Because when they finally pull apart, Keith's face is slightly flushed, there's an unfamiliar redness to his cheeks. His eyes seem brighter, and a smile plays on his lips. Except, it's also different to the other things. There's no intermediate with this. Kissing Keith is something of its own altogether. It's the way Keith's chapped lips feel against his own smooth ones; it's the way their mouths fit together, soft and malleable. It's the little noise Keith makes in the back of his throat, when Lance ventures a bit further. It's the fact it leaves Keith's lips somewhat puffy after, enticing Lance to go back for more. And so he does.

* * *

Lance doesn't want to say he's _proud_ of making out in what's probably the most important room of Blade of Marmora headquarters, but the way it leaves Keith after _does_ have him feeling a little smug. His hair is all tousled now, sticking out in places where Lance's hands have been. He also seems to be a bit shy, all of a sudden. He turned away afterwards, ducking his head. Unfortunately for Lance, the moment Keith span back around in his chair, was the moment he started smirking. He receives a punch in the shoulder for it.

"Watch it, you're getting cocky."

"Oh, don't be like that," he teases, as Keith stands up. "I'm just admiring my handiwork!"

Keith points a finger and glares at him, but says nothing. He pulls up another projection, but Lance thinks he sees a smirk on his lips too, reflected in the screen behind it. For some time, Lance just watches Keith work. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but it doesn't make him feel bored. He could probably watch him all day. Although, there are better things he can think of, so he gets up from his chair, as silently as he can manage, and steps behind Keith. He snakes his arms around his waist, and rests his chin against his shoulder. Keith doesn't show any surprise at all, and it makes everything feel so much more natural. As if this is nothing new. There might be a point to that, though. Lance doesn't feel nervous about anything, like this is all second nature to him. Keith doesn't stop what he's doing, but he does lean back against Lance a little, and his smirk is swapped out for a lazy smile. Lance closes his eyes, and simply rests for a bit. He does do some appreciating though, of the heat he feels coming off Keith's body, and of the way his muscles feel and move as he breathes.

 _This is nice_ , Lance thinks, until he realises there's an issue they haven't discussed yet. He straightens up, lets go of Keith, and goes to stand next to him, then forwards a little, so more of him is in his peripheral vision.

"We're really going to do this, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Keith then tilts his head in confusion, furrowing his brows, "unless you didn't want to?"

"What? No! I am very much aboard this ship, and I don't plan on getting off it, thank you very much. I just mean, well, long distance is very hard." Lance has done it before, and it's not an experience he'd readily welcome back.

"Trust me, I'm well aware." Lance blinks at this, trying to process the words. Is Keith implying what he thinks he's implying? And then, even though there's no warrant for it, he feels a pang of jealousy. Keith, of course, knows what he's thinking, because as soon as the thought crosses his mind, Keith is saying "no, Lance, I don't know that from the perspective of dating. For me, it's always just been you." This makes Lance blush like crazy. He's never going to get tired of feeling like this. "Anyways, I know it's difficult, but… I don't think we'll have to."

It's Lance's turn to be lost. He gives Keith a look, and waits for him to elaborate.

"I've basically been working non-stop, and my subordinates have been telling me to take a break, but there was never a good enough reason for me to do so. Now that the organisation has been mostly set up, I'm not really needed anymore, at least in comparison to the early days. And with all the technology we have now, if anything does happen, they can easily reach me."

"Are you saying you'd come back to Earth with me?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Lance nods, "okay. Don't."

"What?"

Lance mentally facepalms himself. This is why he has to think before speaking. "Sorry, words. I just mean you don't need to do that. I've been… home, for a really long time now. And that was good, it was what I needed, but some days I miss the adventure. I miss the exhilaration; I miss space. I love teaching and I love being close to my family, but this was, and is, a part of my life too. I'll join you, if you're okay with it. At least for now. We can alternate between the two places. Or, if you want, we can go travelling."

"I'm not okay with it," Keith shakes his head. "You shouldn't have to make a sacrifice like that."

"Like _you_ should?" Lance throws his hands up. It's been all tender between them, he'd almost forgotten how stubborn Keith gets.

"It's different, I'm not vital here, you are there."

"I'm really not. I think my family is getting tired of me showing up all the time, and I could take a break from the Garrison. Don't fight me on this."

"I won't," Keith states firmly, "because there _is_ nothing to fight about. We're going to Earth."

"God, you're insufferable!" Lance storms to the end of the room, trying to control his anger. This isn't how he thought things would go.

"Yep, that's me." And that's the final straw. Lance marches back to where Keith is, and presses a finger against the middle of his chestplate. He opens his mouth to yell, or something, and then an idea comes to mind.

"Race me," he says, all of the previous heat gone.

"What do you mean?" Keith speaks calmly too, now. It's crazy how their emotions mirror each other.

"Well, we can't decide what to do, right, and I challenged you yesterday. Let's use this to settle everything, once and for all."

"One final race?"

Lance nods, resolute. "The final race."

A smirk makes its way onto Keith's face. "You're on."

* * *

It ends up being a big event, which Lance could not have anticipated. Keith went to find someone to serve as a referee, and Lance thinks he's taking this way too seriously, but supposes it's appropriate. End things with a bang, right? They'll have to race in the surrounding area, because of the black holes, and it's going to be broadcasted at the observatory. They gather there to go over the rules, and Lance is surprised by the amount of people who have showed up, there are a large number of both Blades and non-members. Lance starts to feel nervous, and pulls at the fabric of his uniform, which he put on just for this.

"All right! Listen up," the Blade speaking reminds Lance of Coran. "You'll be using standard ships, which are being prepared and topped full of fuel right now. They've all been modified, but you're not allowed to use any of the modifications. We're doing this the classic way. I'll be out there too, and if I see any funny business, I'm disqualifying you immediately. It's going to be a pretty simple course. The start is where I'm stationed, and you'll be doing five laps around the black holes. The path will be inputted onto your ships, so you won't stray from it, and so you follow the same one. That's about it. Any objections?" Lance and Keith both shake their heads. Their referee nods. "Shake on it, and then we'll head out."

Lance and Keith make it a big movement, swinging their forearms outwards before bringing them in and clasping them together. It makes a satisfying sound, and the people cheer. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, before letting go. They exit the room, and make their way to the hangar. Once they board their ships, they follow the referee outside. It actually calms Lance down a bit, seeing all the stars. It reminds him of the days he spent in Blue and Red. He's got this, he tells himself. He then recalls there being a mention of cameras, so he looks around himself and waves, for those who are watching. His surroundings are silent, with the only thing he's hearing being his breathing. And then, the referee's voice comes in over intercom. Lance and Keith's outgoing communications are turned off, so they won't be able to distract each other.

"On your marks," Lance flexes his fingers, then wraps his them around the throttle, "get set," Lance takes in a deep breath, "go!"

Lance pushes the controls, and he goes surging forwards. It's not quiet anymore; he hears the blast of the engine, as well as the steady hum of the ship as it moves. He has no issues flying now, he's neck and neck with Keith. That one time wasn't an accurate representation of his present-day abilities, he just hadn't been able to get back in the groove then. Plus, Keith was there, doing _that_. Thinking of it makes Lance lose focus for a moment, and Keith pulls ahead. Lance grunts, shakes his head clear, and pursues him.

It ends up being a pretty close race. Keith leads for the first two laps, Lance manages to overtake him for the next two, and by the start of the last lap they're more or less the same again. Somewhere in the back of Lance's mind, around halfway into lap three, he realises this is no longer really about what they're going to do next. He doesn't entirely care about that anymore. This race has ignited the competitive spirit inside him, and he just wants to beat Keith. It's not as if he was keeping score, but Lance believes that if they totalled the number of competitions they've each won, Keith would come out on top, by a bit. Lance thinks that has all been thrown out the window though. The cumulation of all their previous contests have led to this one, which is going to determine it all. _Yes_ , Lance talks back to the voice in his head, _I_ am _very mature_.

They're three-quarters of the way through now, and Keith has started to put some distance between them. Lance grits his teeth. He knows piloting is what Keith's best at, but he's good at it too. He puts all his remaining efforts into speeding his ship up, leans forwards in his seat for effect, and sees himself catching up. Then, just as they reach the end, something odd happens. Keith is suddenly gone from Lance's field of vision, and he crosses the finish line with no one beside him. He panics, thinking something must've happened to Keith, but when he turns his ship around, he sees him pass the endpoint with a speed nowhere near as fast as he was going before. His ship is entirely intact, and Lance doubts there was a malfunction anywhere else, otherwise the referee would've stopped the race.

And just as it's announced "Lance wins!", he realises exactly what happened. Keith _let_ him win. There's no way with the distance they had left, and with the speeds they were going at, that Lance would win. The only way he would've was if Keith paused for even a second. This makes Lance _furious_. What in the world would make him do something like this? It wasn't mentioned in the rules or anything either, so Lance can't dispute this. Somehow, this is even worse than if Keith would've won.

Keith gets back to the hangar before Lance does, and when Lance gets out of his ship, he charges towards Keith. Unfortunately, their ships are stored opposite to each other, so Lance has quite a distance to walk, but he doesn't care. He's unable to process anything right now, aside from the fact his win wasn't his. Keith watches him approach, and when he's within earshot, he starts to congratulate him. He doesn't get to finish though, because Lance shoves his shoulder, _hard_ , and he goes stumbling back.

"Good job, Lance, I really—"

"What the fuck was that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the bullshit, you know exactly what you did. Why'd you pull up short at the end? You let me win."

Keith sighs. "Is that really such a bad thing?"

"Yes!" Lance exclaims. He doesn't understand why Keith doesn't get it. _He_ ,of all people, should get it. In his peripheral vision, he sees the referee hurry out of area. "What kind of race is it if you're not putting in all your effort? What kind of _win_ is it, if it's not one that comes from yourself?"

"Maybe I didn't want to do it anymore!" Keith shouts back. "Maybe I decided that it didn't matter where I was, because I'm happy wherever you are! I'll do whatever you want to do!" Keith sounds exasperated by the end, and Lance realises he had everything so unbelievably wrong.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he can't believe he messed up on the first day, "I'm so sorry, is there—"

"It's fine, Lance," and when he opens his mouth again, Keith cuts him off before he can get another word out, "seriously. This is still new, no matter how old it feels. There's going to be some stuff we need to figure out. And we will do all of that, in due time. For now, we should probably head in."

"Okay," Lance drops it, because he knows Keith won't budge, but he's already thinking up other ways to apologise in his mind. "I can't believe we keep yelling at each other. It hasn't even been that long yet."

"I know right? But it's okay, I think. It's very _us_." And then Keith takes Lance's hand, and squeezes.

"Yeah," Lance beams at him, "you have a point." They walk, hand in hand, towards the door, and just before they pass through it, Lance says "also, could you maybe chill with those declarations? You're going to make me lose it some day."

Keith chuckles, and replies with ease, "I'm already lost on you though."

Lance tips his head back and huffs. "This is exactly what I mean!"

It only makes Keith laugh harder, and suddenly Lance thinks he might be okay with it, if it means Keith will do this. The sound of his laughter is melodic, it's music to Lance's ears.

* * *

Lance is back on Earth now, in his room at the Galaxy Garrison, packing his things. Keith only intended to drop him off and wait on the ship, however Lance managed to convince him to come say hi to a few people. He tried to argue against it, but begrudgingly trudged alongside Lance after a few kisses, unwillingly leaving Kosmo behind. Or rather, being jealous of the fact Kosmo could stay on the ship, and not him. He looked quite grumpy, and when Lance pointed this out, he only pouted harder. It was all very cute. Lance told Keith this as well, and Keith tried to get out of Lance's grasp because of it, but, of course, failed.

As Lance folds his clothes and places them in his suitcase, he thinks back to the past couple of days. It's been a wild ride, to say the least, but he wouldn't have ever expected anything less. He recalls his hesitancy on the first night, and wishes he knew then what he knows now. He packs a few miscellaneous items for decorative purposes, and some others for entertainment, then looks outside his window, up at the sky. He probably isn't going to see Earth for a while after today, and he's okay with it. After all, he has a large number of places to explore with his boyfriend. And speak of the devil…

"Hey," Lance turns to find Keith leaning against the door frame. He looks very good, and Lance just has to appreciate the view for a moment. "You good to go?"

"Yeah," Lance smiles, pulling out the handle of his suitcase, "always."

They walk side by side as they leave, neither one a step ahead, nor a step behind. Because they're truly equals. They're partners. And they will always be, until the end of time.

* * *

 **A/N:** ahhhhhhhhhhh what do you guys think? is it okay? tbh I feel like my words could never do them justice and truly express the love I feel for them but :( what can I do

k/l will always have such a special place in my heart, they're the pair that really got me writing, and I'm going to miss them so, so much

this definitely won't be the last klance piece from me though! I can't say when the next one will be, but if you're ever curious feel free to send an ask to my tumblr (riskeith), or something

thank you guys so much for reading, I hope it was able to serve as some kind of solace. feel free to review (I adore every last one and they really keep me going), but other than that, that's all for now!

:)


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